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Reggae artist Gramps Morgan has expressed his deep admiration for his long-time friend Buju Banton following the successful completion of the US leg of the “Overcomer” Tour. The North American tour, which wrapped up earlier this month, saw Buju Banton delivering his signature blend of reggae, dancehall, and roots music to enthusiastic crowds across the continent.
Gramps, who opened many of the shows for Buju, took a moment to reflect on the tour’s success and praise Buju for his resilience and artistry.
“He is my brother. There was no pressure at all. This was a celebration of life and celebration of freedom to cement his legacy so for me to be a part of that it was just gratitude and thankfulness for how far we have come in this music and all the sacrifices that were made,” Gramps said.
He reasoned that the tour’s success would be instrumental and seminal for similar reggae tours to follow.
“The impact of this tour will change music business forever for many years. People have looked down on our genre and underestimated it, but truly Buju Banton has made it clear that people want to see a good reggae performer and listen to good music. This is evident and clear even so Beenie Man Bounty Killer and baby Cham were able to sell out an arena on the exact same night
in London. This show shows that people want to see the icons of reggae music and dance , so it has truly changed the landscape forever. Our music is very much alive. We just have to be strong and believe in ourselves and invest in ourselves,” he said.
He emphasized the overwhelming support from audiences, which he said is reassurance that reggae is in a safe place and maintains its pull internationally.
“All the locations were incredible. It was just amazing to see the mixture of people that showed up at all the shows, especially in Brooklyn, not only Jamaicans who are from the country where he is from, but every Caribbean island was there, even people from Europe,” he said.
Despite the allure and fanfare that the tour provided, he was quick to point out that he gained life lessons from just being in the space.
“One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from this experience is that to never give up, never feel like anyone can bury you alive as long as your talent exists and you use it for the greater good of humanity. People will always want to hear your music. And as an individual, especially as a father, never give up because your children are watching,” he reasoned.
The North American tour wrapped up at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn New York on November 17 but while Buju was the main protagonist, Gramps described his own return to the venue as nostalgic.
“ It was great to be back in the city of my birth and especially where most of Morgan Heritage was born so to share this stage in a historic venue where Morgan Heritage had performed in 2012 was very emotional from every other show that we’ve done together as Gramps Morgan and Buju Banton a very captivating moment was when I entered the venue and saw my brother peter
morgan’s photo inside of the venue,” he said.
“I haven’t been back inside of this venue to perform since 2012 when I saw that it was a very emotional moment I had to hold it all together but overall to perform in this city with Buju was incredible to a sold out concert on top of that, I think it is a very great time for reggae and dancehall music again let’s all take note of this and keep pushing to make our country proud and
our people,” he added.
English (US) ·