Jamaican Reggae Legend Buju Banton Reveals Igbo Heritage

In a recent episode of the ‘Drink Champs’ podcast, Jamaican reggae icon Buju Banton made a surprising revelation about his heritage. The legendary artist disclosed that he has Igbo roots, tracing his lineage back to Nigeria.

During the podcast, co-hosted by N.O.R.E and DJ EFN, Banton explained that his tribe, the Maroons, originated from the Igbo people of Nigeria. He expressed concern over the current Jamaican government’s actions, which he claims are threatening their Indigenous land by bringing in Chinese and other foreign nationals to the Cockpit region, a sacred area for the Maroons.

“Our Indigenous way of life and our land are being threatened by the current government of Jamaica, which seeks to bring Chinese and other nationalities into the Cockpit region, an Indigenous sacred region, to usurp us, the Maroons, as the warriors,” Banton stated. “Maroons are some of the Indigenous warriors on my Island. We fought the British relentlessly. We are called Blackmaroons. My generation originated from Nigeria. I am an Igbo man according to my bloodline.”