Buju Banton Is Back – And He’s Bringing Caribbean Music To Every Corner Of America This Summer
By ET EDITOR | NewsAmericasNow.com
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. June 4, 2026: Summer just got a new sound track. Grammy Award-winning reggae legend Buju Banton has announced his thirteenth studio album – ‘Too Too Bad’ – dropping July 17, 2026, alongside a 22-city US summer tour with fellow Grammy winner Stephen Marley.
The duo will take Caribbean music from Seattle to Atlanta in what promises to be the most significant Caribbean music moment on American soil this year and Banton is delivering exactly what the diaspora needs: a reminder that Caribbean culture does not require official recognition to command America’s biggest stages.
The Album: Too Too Bad
Too Too Bad marks Buju’s sixth album for VP Records – the legendary reggae and dancehall label – following a newly minted deal that brought him home to the label after 23 years away.
The album’s lead single “Butterflies” – produced by internationally acclaimed hitmaker Supa Dups, whose credits include Rihanna, Drake, and Bruno Mars – has already amassed over one million cumulative streams since its release. Billboard applauded it as “heart-eyed,” while The New York Carib News noted how Buju “channels the essence of his earlier hits, reminiscent of tracks like ‘Love Sponge,’ as he delivers playful, romantic lyrics.”
A music video for “Butterflies,” shot in Miami by director Justice Silvera, is now available. Buju has also delivered a stunning performance of the 2006 classic “Driver A” on COLORS – a rendition that affirmed, as if any reminder were needed, his status as one of reggae’s greatest showmen.
“A body of work I offer to my fans, friends, and well-wishers with only joy and music,” Buju said of Too Too Bad – a promise that feels especially resonant at a moment when Caribbean communities across the United States could use exactly that.
The Tour: Roots And Rhymes 2026
The album arrives in the middle of the Roots and Rhymes US Summer Tour 2026 – a historic co-headlining run with Stephen Marley that marks the first time the two Grammy-winning icons have embarked on a full-scale tour together. The tour kicks off June 17th at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Washington and winds through 22 cities over six weeks – hitting Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado, Milwaukee Summerfest, UBS Arena in New York, and concluding July 25 at Lakewood Amphitheatre in Atlanta.
Select dates will feature special guest Gramps Morgan of Morgan Heritage, with DJ sets from Splackavelli. And in a gesture that reflects the values at the heart of Caribbean culture, one dollar from every ticket sold will benefit the Buju Banton Foundation – which provides skills training, talent development, and educational empowerment to at-risk boys aged 8 to 18 in Jamaica.
For the Caribbean diaspora spread across every city on this tour – from the Jamaican communities of New York and Boston to the Caribbean enclaves of Atlanta and Miami – Roots and Rhymes is not just a concert tour. It is a homecoming on wheels.
Why This Matters For Caribbean Heritage Month
Buju Banton’s return to the stage this month, Caribbean American Heritage Month, and the studio in 2026, carries weight that goes beyond music. His catalog – spanning ‘Mr. Mention,’ ‘Voice of Jamaica,’ the Gold-certified ‘Til Shiloh,’ and the Grammy-winning ‘Before The Dawn’ — represents some of the most important reggae songs the Caribbean has produced in the last three decades.
His comeback from a decade in federal prison, his continued commitment to Jamaican youth through his foundation, and his ability to fill amphitheatres across America in 2026 tell a story about Caribbean resilience, talent, and cultural influence that no official proclamation could capture more powerfully.
Caribbean Heritage Month has its anthem. And it sounds like Buju.
Too Too Bad is available for pre-order now. The Roots and Rhymes US Summer Tour begins June 17. Tickets and information available at bujubanton.com.
