Buju Banton has released Born for Greatness on Friday, September 8, 2023. The 17-track album comes through his own Gargamel Music with Roc Nation Records and Def Jam Recordings, uDiscover Music reported when the record was announced on July 14, and runs 56 minutes, per Wikipedia.
All 17 tracks are in the JamaicansMusic library, sourced from Buju Banton’s official YouTube channel: press Play all above to hear the album while you read, open the Born for Greatness album page, or jump to the track-by-track player below.
“Another milestone, Another stage. I embrace it all. I’ve accepted the change,” Buju said in the announcement. “Here is something special. From my experience and musical journey. An ode to those who acknowledge the struggles and challenges that surmount. And others who will, your eyes are not deceiving you nor are your ears, you were born for greatness. I embrace you with love melodies and music.”
Who is on it
Three guests: Snoop Dogg on “High Life,” the single that preceded the campaign and which HotNewHipHop called “a perfect combination of their respective styles”; R&B singer-songwriter Victoria Monét on “Body Touching Body”; and Stephen Marley on “Feel a Way.” The dancehall single “Coconut Wata (Sip)” and the title track, shared with the announcement, led the way.
Tracklist
Each title links to the song page in our library, where you can play it, queue it and find the official upload.
- Ageless Time
- Life Choices
- Born for Greatness
- Coconut Wata (Sip)
- Yard and Outta Road
- Body Touching Body (feat. Victoria Monét)
- Turn Up Tonight
- Sweeter
- Feel a Way (feat. Stephen Marley)
- Plans
- Nuff Love for You
- Walked Out
- We Find a Way
- My Microphone
- High Life (with Snoop Dogg)
- Trial by Fire
- Let My People Go
Editor’s note: Reviews were mixed — Pitchfork’s Edwin Houghton scored it 6.7, writing that it “doesn’t match the magic of his legacy” while finding Buju “as confident and impressive as ever” away from grand thematic statements; Vibe called it “a varied and enticing return” and singled out “Nuff Love for You” and “We Find a Way.” In November the album was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 66th Grammy Awards, where it lost to Julian Marley and Antaeus’s Colors of Royal (Recording Academy); Buju won the category in 2011 with Before the Dawn. JaRIA shortlisted it for Reggae Album of the Year in 2024.
Listen and dig deeper
- Play the full album on the Born for Greatness album page — the official visualizers from Buju Banton’s channel and BujuBantonVEVO for all 17 tracks, with the “Coconut Wata (Sip)” music video as an alternate version.
- Browse the Buju Banton artist profile, including ’Til Shiloh and Mr. Mention in the library.
- From our archive: a Buju Banton and Vybz Kartel collaboration surfaces (2014).
Sources: uDiscover Music — “Buju Banton Announces New Album ‘Born For Greatness’” (Will Schube, July 14, 2023); Wikipedia — Born for Greatness (album) (tracklist, running time, reviews); Recording Academy — Best Reggae Album, 66th Grammy Awards.
Editor’s note: This story is part of an archive backfill covering Jamaican music news from 2022 to 2026. It is dated to the events it reports.