Friends for Life

With 2003’s Friends for Life, 30-year-old Buju Banton proved he was strong enough to assume three of the most challenging mantles in Jamaican music culture. With “Up Ye Mighty Race,” “All Will Be Fine,” and “Mama Africa,” he positioned himself as the heir to Bob Marley’s role as the ambassador and social conscience of Rastafarianism. With “Pensive Mood” and “Feeling Groovy,” he made himself into the keeper of reggae’s musical heritage by reanimating vintage styles. Finally, and perhaps most crucially, he maintained his position as the fiercest toaster on the island against an always-hungry crop of younger talent. Dancehall is an almost impossibly aggressive and athletic form of music—and it's almost entirely focused on youth culture, making it harder for artists like Banton to stay relevant as they age. Yet with songs like “Tra La La,” “Teaser,” “Get It On,” and “Damn,” Banton showed that older needn't be equated with weaker. The aforementioned tracks fit easily next to the kinetic rap songs of Missy Elliott, but the closing track, “Mr. Nine,” is the showstopper.