Grammy Doesnt Honor Buju Banton

Buju Banton lost the Grammy for Best Reggae Album Sunday night amid protests from gay rights groups over his hate-filled lyrics.

The award instead went to Stephen Marley, the son of Bob Marley, according to early reporting from MTV.

Banton, who couldn't attend the ceremonies because he's currently in jail in Florida awaiting trial on cocaine-related charges, recently told the media he "sees no end to the war" between him and the gays in his music.

His 1988 song "Boom Bye Bye" advocated brutal violence against gays and lesbians.

Last week gay rights groups, including the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, took out an ad in Daily Variety denouncing Banton and urging the Grammys to denounce homophobia in music and any art "that promotes or celebrates violence against any group of people."

In a reply, the Recording Academy said that it honors artists "regardless of politics" and that "artists of a variety of political or cultural perspectives have been nominated or featured on the telecast."