Vanessa Bling

Dancehall performer Vanessa Bling, occasionally credited as Gaza Slim, attained widespread prominence throughout the early 2010s via multiple hit collaborations with Vybz Kartel plus recognition for her emerging status in Jamaican society. Momentum toward wider fame encountered disruption in 2011, when arrests linked both her and Vybz Kartel to a murder inquiry. Vybz Kartel later received a life sentence, while Bling served a period in custody for her connection to the proceedings, briefly interrupting her recording activity. Following time away from public attention to resolve legal matters, her visibility resurfaced in 2017 once American hip-hop superstar Cardi B included her 2012 track "Everything Fi Hold Him" as audio in an Instagram clip displaying an engagement ring. Though the placement stayed relatively modest, exposure reached more than ten million of Cardi B’s followers and functioned as an introduction of Bling’s catalog to many new listeners. She translated the resulting attention into fresh material by issuing the six-song EP Still Standing in September of 2018.

Born Vanessa Saddler in 1991, Vanessa Bling grew up in St. Andrew, Jamaica. She performed with choirs during high school and at church, then entered the industry in 2007 shortly after finishing school by supplying backing vocals on Twin of Twins’ “Only God Knows.” An introduction to dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel followed in 2010 and produced several joint recordings. By then Saddler had replaced the stage name Va-ness with Gaza Slim, applying the new identity to tracks such as “Can't Do Without Me,” “Stop Gwaan Like Yuh Tough,” “Mama Said,” “Realest Girl,” and others. Legal difficulties arose for Saddler in 2011 through involvement in the murder case that resulted in her associate Vybz Kartel receiving a life sentence. Connection to the matter rested on her false assertion that the victim had attempted to rob her and Kartel. She completed a brief prison term plus extended parole, during which new releases appeared less frequently. Issuing music alternately as Gaza Slim or Vanessa Bling, she continued to put out singles, EPs, and mixtapes—including the 2014 Vybz Kartel collaboration Duet—across several years. Tracks recorded in 2017 with producer Marcus Myrie for his Markus Records label preceded the 2018 EP Still Standing, which drew further notice through the single and video “10 Bags.”