This is an OZY Special Briefing, an extension of the Presidential Daily Brief. The Special Briefing tells you what you need to know about an important issue, individual or story that is making news. Each one serves up an interesting selection of facts, opinions, images and videos in order to catch you up and vault you ahead. WHAT TO KNOW What’s happening? Following his release from a U.S. prison late last year, dancehall and reggae performer Buju Banton — arguably the biggest name in Jamaican music today — made his way back to the stage over the weekend to a packed crowd in a 35,000-capacity stadium in Kingston. His tour, titled Long Walk to Freedom, shares a title with Nelson Mandela’s 1994 autobiography. Fans crashed ticket websites and crowded the Jamaican capital’s Airbnb listings, which were reportedly at nearly 100 percent capacity the night of the show. The tour is scheduled to continue through midsummer, with shows scheduled for Barbados, Grenada, Suriname and Germany. Why does it matter? Banton, 45, isn’t a simple guy. Besides his time in the federal clink for cocaine possession, he’s also faced criticism for his alleged promotion of anti-gay violence in the song Boom Bye Bye. So as reggae fans welcome back this modern-day musical legend, key questions remain: Can Banton reclaim his spot in the reggae pantheon after a long hiatus? And is he ready — or able — to focus on music after a long incarceration? |