Buju Banton's "Too Too Bad" Proves the Gargamel Still Sets the Pace

I have shared a stage with Buju Banton, opening for him with my own band, and one thing you learn standing in the wings is that nobody in reggae commands a room quite like him. That voice arrives before the man does. So when Too Too Bad landed this summer, the question was never whether Buju still had it. The question was what he would do with it.

Released July 17, 2026 on his own Gargamel Music imprint with VP Records, Too Too Bad is Buju Banton's 13th studio album: 13 tracks on the digital edition, with a 15-track CD that adds two bonus cuts. The title is a knowing nod to his 2006 album Too Bad, the record that gave us "Driver A." Two decades later, he has doubled the word and raised the stakes.

Old riddims, new reach

What stands out first is how firmly the album is rooted in Jamaican foundation. The opener, "We Nuh Play," rebuilds the classic Diseases riddim. Lead single "Butterflies," produced by Supa Dups, is built on the Real Rock and Love Sponge riddims, two of the most beloved backbones in reggae history. "Wild Woman" takes the Buy Out riddim, originally produced by Tony "CD" Kelly, and hands it to DJ Khaled for a refurbishment.

That is the album's central move: take the riddims every sound system on the island knows by heart, and use them as a bridge to a global audience. Ari Lennox joins on "Satisfy Me." Gramps Morgan, of Morgan Heritage, brings roots credibility to the closer, "Power." Supa Dups, Di Genius and DJ Khaled are among the producers credited across the record.

Buju uses the riddims every sound system knows by heart as a bridge to the rest of the world.

The numbers back it up

The audience has answered. Too Too Bad debuted at No. 3 on the US iTunes Reggae Albums chart in its first week and charted on iTunes reggae lists in Belgium, Canada, the UK, France, Japan and Germany. "Butterflies" hit No. 1 on the US iTunes Reggae Songs chart on release and has passed a million streams. As of early October, the album sat at No. 1 on the Reggae Vibes album chart for a second straight week, ahead of strong 2026 releases from Queen Ifrica and Capleton.

The tension worth talking about

For roots listeners, the crossover features will be the conversation. Tracks like "X Rated" and "Good Pum Pum" lean toward the dancehall side of Buju's catalog, the side that made him a star in the early '90s, while "Power" points back to the conscious, spiritual Buju of 'Til Shiloh. Too Too Bad does not choose between those two artists. It puts them on the same record and dares you to separate them.

Whether that balance works for you may depend on which Buju you fell for first. But the craft is not in question. Few artists alive can move between a sound system riddim and a DJ Khaled feature without sounding like a guest in either room.

The verdict: Too Too Bad is the sound of a veteran who knows exactly where reggae came from and is not afraid to take it somewhere new. Start with "Butterflies," stay for "Power," and play the opener loud. Buju Banton is still setting the pace.