Banton, who was convicted in a Tampa courtroom in 2011 on federal drug charges, was freed Friday from Georgia's private McMcRae Correctional Institute, a prison official told the Tampa Bay Times. Banton, whose real name is Mark Anthony Myrie, 45, was found guilty in February 2011 and sentenced in June of that year for conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute. On 8 December, the gravelly voiced rastafari artist will be put on a plane in Florida and flown to Kingston to a nation that has been eagerly awaiting this moment. He’ll be able to take care of all of his business now.”

Banton is arguably as famous worldwide for his homophobia, epitomized in his 1992 song, “Boom Bye Bye,” in which Banton wrote about murdering gay people. In June 2007, he signed the Reggae Compassionate Act, which meant he agreed “to not make statements or perform songs that incite hatred or violence against anyone from any community”. In a statement to the Guardian, he described the impact of imprisonment and his means of coping. I immersed my self in reading so much – theology, philosophy and other subjects.” In the same feature, Jamaica’s minister for culture, Olivia “Babsy” Grange said, “Buju was loved long before he was convicted and he will be loved just the same, even if he comes home in handcuffs.” The article also described Banton’s homecoming as being the most anticipated in Jamaica’s history since Ethiopia’s Emperor Haile Selassie visited the country in April 1966.
Jamaican reggae artist Buju Banton (Mark Anthony Myrie) is released from a U.S. prison and deported back to Jamaica, after serving 7 years of a 10-year drug charge conviction.