Buju Banton’s first ever U.S. arena tour is making a stop in Tampa

After a 15-year performance hiatus in the U.S., Grammy Award-winning reggae artist Buju Banton is embarking on his first-ever arena tour. It includes a stop in Tampa on Aug. 25 at Amalie Arena.

Tickets go on sale Friday, July 19.

“The Overcomer” tour also features guest artist Fridayy, the Haitian-American singer, songwriter and producer whose song “God Did” by DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and John Legend was Grammy-nominated.

Born Mark Myrie, Banton was raised in Kingston, Jamaica, and was given the nickname “Buju” by his mother. He made a name for himself in the 1990s in the dancehall scene and went on to break Bob Marley’s record for No. 1 singles on the Jamaican charts in 1992, according to Tampa Bay Times archives.

Banton caused international controversy with his violent, homophobic lyrics, resulting in canceled shows from 2005-2011. In 2007, he vowed to never again incite “hatred or violence.”

In 2011, he was convicted on federal drug charges in a Tampa courtroom and served years in federal prison in one of the most high-profile cases tried in the Sam M. Gibbons United States Courthouse in downtown Tampa.

The trial started on Feb. 14, 2011, the day after he won a Grammy for best reggae album for “Before the Dawn,” which was recorded before his arrest.

He was freed in 2018 after serving his sentence in Georgia and returned to Jamaica.

How to get tickets to Buju Banton

Tickets range $54.75-$244.75 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, July 19 at ticketmaster.com.

Times archives contributed to this report.