For most people in America reggae music begins and ends with Bob Marley. Truth be told, if you asked someone to name another reggae artist you’d probably get a blank stare. Maybe an “Uh, that Mr. Boombastic guy” or “That one guy… Shabba Doo – no, Shabba Ranks!” But the true fans of reggae will tell you about the scores of wildly popular artists and bands that fly just under the mainstream radar. On Thursday night at Little Brother’s, Buju Banton, the self-declared “Voice Of Jamaica,” brought Rastaman vibrations to Cowtown, Ohio. Banton is touring in support for his upcoming album “Unchained Spirit.”Banton is a singer who mixes the traditional live-band reggae sounds with the more computerized stuttering beats of dancehall. Over the course of his five albums, starting with “Mr. Mention” in 1992, Banton has moved from boasts of sexual prowess and mic skills to more social commentary and consciousness. Along the way he has broken both Marley’s sales record and No. 1 records in Jamaica.While casual fans of reggae may have no idea who Banton is, the faithful were out in full force. The show was sold out to a mix of male, female, white, black, dreadlocks, baseball caps and carefully styled hairdos. And with all the people came a serious amount of heat that was only surpassed by the heat coming from the stage. After a brief introduction, Banton appeared in a blinding white robe and black slacks, like a funky reggae cardinal. And once he hit the stage, he never stopped. Even with sound problems that cut off the sound in the front of the house for a few minutes, Banton didn’t stop. Even during the brief power outage, the result of the storm raging outside, Banton didn’t stop. Backed by a crack band of a drummer/percussionist, bass player, keyboardist and guitar player, Banton ran through a wide selection of songs covering the span of his career with the intensity of a man with something to prove. His gruff baritone voice growled and barked, spitting out lyrics in the Jamaican patois, almost to the point of being in another language. But this was a show for the true believers. Every song was met with rapturous applause before and after it was finished. It wasn’t just a show but a religious revival with the floor of Little Brother’s turned into a sweating, dancing, surging mass of people singing along so loudly to every song it was as if everyone had their own microphone.The entire show was a revelation with spectacular renditions of “Murderer,” “No Easy Road” and “Champion.” However there was one curious point during the show. Toward the end, Banton did a medley of some of his early dancehall singles. But would he perform the infamous “Boom Boom Bye Bye?” This is where it gets complicated. “Boom Boom Bye Bye” was released before his first album, “Mr. Mention,” circa late ’91, early ’92. The song calls for violence against gay men. But since then Banton has undergone a spiritual conversion and has a more mature outlook on life that has been reflected in his lyrics. “Boom Boom Bye Bye” is also one of his biggest songs and unless you have someone versed in Jamaican patois explain the song to you, you’d never get the idea that it’s about shooting gay men in the head. So would it appear?Yes and no. During the medley Banton gave a brief interlude that had him defending himself against being “too dread.” So he asked the crowd, “Is this too dread?” and launched into just the four words – “boom boom bye bye.” That was it. None of the verses, no commentary, just those four words, but the place exploded like Times Square on New Year’s Eve. So the question goes up: Were people down with the message of “Boom Boom Bye Bye” or did they just recognize it as an older, popular song? The world may never know.Overall the show was an amazing testament to the power of live reggae and to Banton as a performer. “Boom Boom Bye Bye” questions aside, Banton could make anyone a believer.