Rihanna headed home for the weekend where she attended the Barbados Reggae Festival and took in dancehall artist Buju Banton’s performance.
The Bajan boss wore a checkered Off-White ensemble from the label’s fall 2019 collection. (Check out her night one, Jacquemus look here.)
Following the performance, the two artist briefly met and spoke, an exchange that reignited chatter that Rihanna’s upcoming ninth studio album will include a collaboration with Bantu. At the same time, keep an eye on 19-year-old Jamaican dancehall artist Koffee, whose “Toast” song Rihanna was blasting on the way home from the concert.
Banton’s concert in Barbados was part of his “Long Walk to Freedom” tour, which kicked off in Trinidad & Tobago on April 21, 2019. His return to performing was put into motion in November 2018 when he was deported to Jamaica upon release from a Miami prison where he served a seven-year sentence. Bantu was arrested in Miami in 2009, and was convicted for illegal possession of a firearm and conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute in 2011.
Rumors of a feature first popped up in November 2017 when Rihanna was spotted wearing a free Buju Bantu t-shirt on her way to the studio. At that time, several sites reported on an ASCAP-registered song titled “Fatty” whose writers included Robyn Fenty and Mark Anthony Myrie (Banton’s government name). However, the song is no longer listed on the site.
Putting aside the Bantu collaboration, there’s long been chatter rumors Rihanna’s album will be reggae-music themed. There’s also been talk she will drop a double album that will touch on both pop and reggae themes.
Check out images from her weekend in Barbados below.
