March 3, 2026
Buju Banton’s Son Credits Faith And ‘Boom Bye Bye’ For Stopping Him From Being Gay
Buju Banton’s son, Jahazeil Myrie, opened up about his sexuality and how his faith and father’s music redirected him.
Buju Banton’s son, Jahazeil Myrie, says he “almost turned gay,” but credits his faith and his father’s controversial track “Boom Bye Bye” with helping redirect his life.
On the March 1 episode of the faith-based podcast Sheena Power Talk, Myrie spoke candidly about his past struggles with his sexuality and the role his faith played in shaping his decisions.
“Bwoy Father God, I hope they don’t judge me wrong…I literally almost turn fish,” he said, using a Jamaican slur for a gay man. “Because you know say Satan manipulate your mind and your character.”
“My father’s song dragged back my memory. Mi seh wait nuh, my father sing “Boom Bye Bye”? …I got up the next day and walk go a church. This is it,” he continued.
Minister Sheena Lyn Hanson then asked Myrie to elaborate on his statement, prompting him to clarify what he meant. “I almost turned gay because the enemy had my mind a certain way,” he explained.
When pressed on whether he had been lusting after men, he responded, “I wouldn’t say lust exactly — more so the idea of it.”
As for what he believes contributed to that period of questioning, Myrie, who has publicly embraced Christianity since his 2024 baptism, pointed to feelings of disappointment and rejection he was experiencing in his romantic relationships with women at the time.
”While me never fully understand what I was dealing with, I was facing rejection too. [I felt] like that door was closed at one point with women,” he explained.
Myrie added that baptism alone didn’t instantly resolve his struggles.
“I thought it would fix everything, but I realized you still have to do the inner work,” he said.
He also credited God with steering both his music career and spiritual journey, adding, “God always shows up right when I’m about to give up.”
Myrie’s remarks come years after his father agreed to stop performing his controversial 1992 track “Boom Bye Bye,” which was later removed from streaming platforms. Released when Banton was just 19, the song drew widespread condemnation for lyrics widely viewed as promoting homophobia and violence against gay men.
Banton stopped performing the track after signing the Reggae Compassionate Act in 2007, and it was pulled from streaming services in 2019. In subsequent years, he publicly acknowledged the pain the song caused to listeners, fans, his family, and himself.
Banton has said he wrote it as a frustrated teenager, intending it to target a specific individual in his community whom he alleged had harmed boys, not gay men more broadly. Those who watched Myrie’s interview applauded him for sharing his truth and offering insight on the sensitive subject.
”Thanks for sharing your testimony. Not a lot are able to. Blessings,” one Instagram user wrote.
”So much respect for you fam,” added another.
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