Mutabaruka not seeking money for ‘Murderer’ line

Though adamant that a key line in Buju Banton's hit single ' Murderer' was taken from his work, veteran dub poet Mutabaruka says his decision to step into the debate over the song's authorship is aimed solely at setting the record straight and not about seeking compensation.

"No sah, a up inna the 90s that, enuh, and is just a line. Me nah look nuh money or nutten," Mutabaruka told THE STAR.

The celebrated dub poet said that the pivotal line in the song 'Kill I today, you cannot kill I tomorrow' comes from a line in his poem ' Any Which Way Freedom', which was released in 1989.

The words also appear in the 1992 social commentary, Bone Lies which featured Mutabaruka, Cocoa Tea, Freddy McGregor, and Dennis Brown.

"I wrote Bone Lies and Gussy Clarke from Music Works recorded it. Well years later, I hear this song a sing bout 'Murderer, kill I today, you cannot kill I tomorrow', and I say rahtid, Buju Banton gone with one a me line dem man. But I never followed it up or spoke to him," Mutabaruka said.

Buju Banton's song, Murderer, was released in 1995. Buju Banton and Wayne Wonder are listed on the original Penthouse release as co-authors of the song. The song is said to be the lyrical manifestation of Banton's grief and frustration in the wake of the October 1993 murder of dancehall artiste Pan Head, who was killed in Spanish Town while leaving a dance. Buju last week poured scorn on the co-authorship claims.

Meanwhile, Mutabaruka, contacted by THE STAR, said he was never given any credit for his words and he never pursued the matter.

"I never sought compensation or anything like that, and me never a follow it up," he said, adding that he has chosen to speak now because of the arguments about authorship of Murderer.

"They may have come up with the song, yes, but one of the line dem a my own, and it's a very philosophical line," Mutabaruka said.

"The only reason why it comes up now, is because dem a argue over who wrote the song. All a dem may have written the song, but me have a line eena the song wey dem tek," he added.