Buju Banton Fans Get Treat With 'Set Up The Mic'

Though incarcerated and prohibited from recording in a Miami federal prison, Dancehall/Reggae superstar, Buju Banton graces the mainstream with a newly released record, Set Up The Mic.

The single premiered on Wednesday, hailing as the debut single from the new Certified Boomshots: Vol. 1 compilation, produced by Boomshots Magazine. The Dancehall/Reggae mixtape features many of Dancehall’s top acts and producers including Shaggy, Beenie Man, Vybz Kartel and several others.

Set Up The Mic was initially recorded in 2008 by Buju for Young Blood Records on the Rapid Burst Riddim. Intended as a just-for-fun freestyle, a studio engineer, fixing levels at the beginning of a studio session, pressed “record” by accident while the Grammy-winning singjay was voicing.

However, that accident evolved into another hit single for Buju Banton; proving his worth as one of Dancehall and Reggae music’s greatest lyricists and innovators. In a press release issued via the Boomshots Magazine website, the song’s producer, Mr. G, praised Buju’s ability to turn an impromptu freestyle into another hit song that fans yearning to hear his voice would appreciate.

“I always told people that I have a song that I think is one of the baddest Buju tracks, but he was just freestyling,” he said.

“The thing about this song, it’s got a happy, playful kinda energy. The world will appreciate and love hearing Buju again, banging as the great Buju Banton. Although it’s a freestyle, if I don’t tell people it’s a freestyle, they would never know it,” Mr. G intimated.

Certified Boomshots: Vol. 1 will be unveiled on December 13th. The mixtape also features hit singles such as Popcaan's Only Man She Want, Christopher Martin's Cheater's Prayer, Mavado and Ne-Yo's I Know You Want Me remix and Black Ryno's Whine Me, produced by Buju Banton's son, Markus Myrie.

Meanwhile, the song’s two versions (Raw and Edited) as well as the instrumental are currently available on iTunes. Set Up The Mic is the second single released featuring Buju Banton since he was convicted of three drug-related charges this past February. A collaboration single alongside Dancehall/Reggae star and long-time friend, Delly Ranx entitled Thunder Roll was released this summer. Profits from Thunder Roll will go towards a commissary account for the internationally-acclaimed Reggae superstar.

A benefit concert aimed at raising money for Buju’s upcoming appeal on his ten-year prison sentence for said convictions took place last Saturday in Tampa, Florida.