Veteran deejay Buju Banton has released Madda Badda, his first single for 2022.

The track, produced by J August, is being promoted as a classic dancehall rhythm mixed with contemporary sounds, highlighting the hardcore dancehall lyricism and flow that brought Buju Banton to prominence in the 90s.

Madda Badda is released in collaboration with Ghetto Youths International and Gargamel Music and was released on all streaming platforms last Friday.

A statement through the artiste’s publicist noted that with the release of Madda Badda Buju Banton is calling to our collective minds, the dancehall that Jamaica is known for, and comes amidst concerns that the quality of dancehall music has waned.

“With this single Buju Banton is proving that dancehall songs can be simple and meaningful, dispelling the idea that artists must compromise one for the other,” the statement read.

The first single to propel Buju Banton into stardom was The Ruler, released when he was 16 years old. Now several years later, his songs are still making statements. His debut album Stamina Daddy, with the title track as the first single in 1992, was his breakout. Singles like Wanna Be Loved, Hills and Valley, Murderer, Not An Easy Road, and many more.

Since his return to the music scene after a 10-year drug-related prison sentence, the deejay embarked on his Long Walk To Freedom tour and released his Grammy-nominated album Upside Down in 2020, comprising 20 tracks, featuring Stephen Marley, John Legend, Pharrell Williams, and Stefflon Don.