Friends for Life (Buju Banton album)

2003 studio album by Buju Banton

Friends for Life

Studio album by

Buju Banton

Released| March 11, 2003 (2003-03-11)
Studio|

Various

* The Room for Black Shadow Records
* Area 39 Recording Studio
* Askum Recording Studio
* Penthouse Recording Studio
* King Jammy's Recording Studio

Genre|

* Dancehall
* reggae[1]

Length| 75:23
Label| VP Music Group
Producer|

* Buju Banton
* Cool & Dre
* Jammy "Jamz" James
* Sheldon Stewart
* Sly Dunbar
* Steely & Clevie
* Steven "Lenky" Marsden

Buju Banton chronology
| Unchained Spirit
(2000)  | Friends for Life
(2003)  | Too Bad
(2006)

|
|

Singles from  Friends for Life

1. "Paid Not Played"
Released: 2003

Friends for Life is the seventh studio album by Jamaican recording artist Buju Banton. It was released on March 11, 2003 through VP Music Group with exclusive distribution via Atlantic Records. Production was primarily handled by Donovan Germain and Buju Banton, along with Cool & Dre, Jammy "Jamz" James, Sheldon Stewart, Sly Dunbar, Steely & Clevie, Steven "Lenky" Marsden. It features guest appearances from Beres Hammond, Bounty Killer, Fat Joe, Nadine Sutherland, Sons & Daughters Choir and Wayne Wonder. The album peaked at number 198 on the US Billboard 200 album chart, and was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards,[2] but lost to Sean Paul's Dutty Rock. The album was supported with charted single "Paid Not Played", which peaked at number 84 on the Official Singles Chart Top 100 in the UK.

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
The Guardian| [3]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide| [4]

Rick Anderson of AllMusic said that "This is not his best album by a long shot, but it does demonstrate his clear superiority to most of the dancehall pack".[1] Dave Simpson, reviewer of The Guardian, saw the album as the biggest escalation of his positive side of music, saying: "Since 1995's well-regarded 'Til Shiloh, he has become known as Mr Positivity, and this album is the upper and worst example of that trite and withdrawn imagery", ending the review saying: "after a strong and rousing beginnings, Friends for Life gets lost in slush".[3]

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Paid Not Played"|

* Mark Myrie
* Troy Rami

|  | 4:01
2.| "Tra La La"|

* Myrie
* Steven Marsden

| Steven "Lenky" Marsden| 3:24
3.| "Teaser" (featuring Bounty Killer)|

* Myrie
* Rodney Price
* Cleveland Browne
* Wycliffe Johnson

| Steely & Clevie| 3:48
4.| "Excerpt of a Speech by Marcus Mosiah Garvey"|  |  | 0:56
5.| "Up Ye Mighty Race"| Myrie| Buju Banton| 4:02
6.| "All Will Be Fine" (featuring Sons and Daughters Choir)|

* Myrie
* Frank Burt
* Robbie Lyn
* Mikey Chung

| Donovan Germain| 5:33
7.| "Maybe We Are"|

* Myrie
* Burt
* Lyn
* Chung

| Donovan Germain| 6:20
8.| "Mama Africa"| Peter Tosh| Donovan Germain| 4:47
9.| "Hooked on the Love"|

* Myrie
* Browne
* Johnson

| Donovan Germain| 3:58
10.| "Get It On" (featuring Wayne Wonder)|

* Myrie
* Von Wayne Charles

| Banton| 3:30
11.| "Friend for Life"|

* Myrie
* Marsden
* Lowell Fillmore Dunbar

| Banton| 3:51
12.| "Good Times" (featuring Beres Hammond and Fat Joe)|

* Myrie
* Hugh Hammond
* Joseph Cartagena
* Marsden
* Dunbar

| Donovan Germain| 4:24
13.| "Damn"|

* Myrie
* Andre Lyon
* Marcello Valenzano

| Cool & Dre| 4:20
14.| "La Da De Da"|

* Myrie
* Marsden

| Banton| 3:22
15.| "Feeling Groovy"|

* Myrie
* Duke Reid

| Donovan Germain| 3:14
16.| "Pensive Mood"| Myrie| Banton| 4:25
17.| "Spectacular"| Myrie| Jammy "Jamz" James| 3:49
18.| "What Am I Gonna Do" (featuring Nadine Sutherland)|

* Myrie
* Nadine Sutherland

* Donovan Germain
* Sly Dunbar

| 4:03
19.| "Mr. Nine"|

* Myrie
* Gregory Isaacs

| Sheldon Stewart| 3:36
Total length:| 1:15:23

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (2003)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard 200[5] | 198
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[6] | 44
US Reggae Albums (Billboard)[7] | 3
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[8] | 14

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Anderson, Rick. "Friends for Life - Buju Banton | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
2. ^ "GRAMMY Award Results for Buju Banton". GRAMMY.com. September 13, 2020.
3. ^ a b Simpson, Dave (March 7, 2003). "CD: Buju Banton, Friends for Life". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
4. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 44\. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
5. ^ "Buju Banton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
6. ^ "Buju Banton Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
7. ^ "Buju Banton Chart History (Reggae Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
8. ^ "Buju Banton Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Buju Banton – Friends For Life at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Buju Banton

Discography

Studio albums|

* Stamina Daddy (1992)
* Mr. Mention (1992)
* Voice of Jamaica (1993)
* 'Til Shiloh (1995)
* Inna Heights (1997)
* Unchained Spirit (2000)
* Friends for Life (2003)
* Too Bad (2006)
* Rasta Got Soul (2009)
* Before the Dawn (2010)
* Upside Down 2020 (2020)
* Born for Greatness (2023)

Compilation and remix albums|

* Dubbing with the Banton (2000)
* Ultimate Collection (2001)
* The Best of the Early Years: 1990–1995 (2001)
* The Best of Buju Banton (2002)
* Buju and Friends (2004)
* Toppa di Top and Dirty Rhythms (2006)

Featured singles|

* "Holy Mountain"

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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