Buju Banton
For all of his troubles, Buju Banton is arguably the greatest folk hero that Jamaica has produced since Bob Marley. In fact, his status as a scofflaw, misunderstood by the rest of the world has only made him more beloved in Jamaica. In any case, he is among the most influential Jamaican recording artists of the last 20 years, having shifted the tide in dancehall from slackness to consciousness with his mid ’90s releases Voice of Jamaica and ‘Til Shiloh. —Jesse Serwer