Beres Hammond calls dibs on performance with Buju

With Buju Banton set to be released from prison in the US by December this year, promoters are perhaps putting plans into motion to have the artiste perform on their stage in his first set since his incarceration in 2009. While it remains a mystery as to where and when the entertainer will make that historic appearance, at least one entertainer has come out to say he wants to share the stage with the 'Gargamel'.

Beres Hammond, who was recently honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award by The Gleaner, made the revelation in a recent interview with The STAR. An excited Hammond said having shared the stage with Banton on previous occasions, the last being a few months before the artiste ran into legal troubles in the US, he is looking forward to once again perform alongside the Not An Easy Road singer.

MUSICAL LEGENDS

Should that performance materialise, it could be a show of epic proportions as both entertainers are considered musical legends. Having crossed paths on numerous occasions throughout their careers, Banton and Hammond have several collaborations that could see them pulling off the kind of performance showgoers would not soon forget. Who Sey (Big Man Don't Cry) and Pull It Up would no doubt be on the list of songs that the duo would perform.

Aside from the collaborations, singing parts of each other's individual songs would also be a strong possibility during a Banton/Beres Hammond set, particularly the songs that have a romantic flavour, Banton counting Browning, Wanna Be Loved and Love Sponge, among those.

With a release countdown running on Banton's Instagram page, anticipation is high for his first post-incarceration stage appearance in Jamaica. Promoters and entertainers hoping to share the stage with him are not the only ones excited about his release and that first show, as several patrons with whom The STAR spoke with at the recently concluded Rebel Salute said that if Banton were to be announced as one of the performers for Rebel Salute 2019, it will be a show they could not and would not miss.

An appearance at Rebel Salute seems quite possible, based on timing. If the deejay decides to jump right back into the mix of things following his release, then the January 2019 staging of Rebel Salute may very well be his first local appearance. Hammond, Buju Banton and Tony Rebel, whose birthday Rebel Salute celebrates, were all associated with Penthouse Records in the 1990s. Buju and Tony Rebel have a combination in A So.