Vybz Kartel

Vybz Kartel emerged from Jamaica as a prominent dancehall figure, recognized for a gritty yet tuneful deejay approach that appealed equally to neighborhood crowds, club environments, and radio listeners. Following the arrival of his first full-length project, Up 2 Di Time in 2003, observers positioned him among the scene’s most promising newcomers. Subsequent releases such as More Up 2 Di Time in 2004 and J.M.T. in 2005, together with further successes including the single “Clarks,” helped broaden his profile beyond Jamaica through guest spots alongside artists like Rihanna, Missy Elliott, and Major Lazer, most notably on the latter’s “Pon de Floor.” Even after receiving a life sentence for murder, he maintained a steady output of widely embraced recordings; “Fever” from 2016 ranked among his strongest tracks and helped drive the accompanying album King of the Dancehall to number two on Billboard’s reggae chart. The overturning of his conviction was marked by the release of the mixtape First Week Out in 2024.

Raised in Jamaica’s Waterford district, Vybz Kartel, born Adidja Azim Palmer, issued his earliest single, “Love Fat Woman,” while still a teenager under the name Adi Banton. Three years afterward, in 1996, he joined Mr. Lee and Escobar to form Vibes Cartel, though the collective disbanded almost immediately. Retaining a slightly altered version of the group’s name, he pursued a solo path and soon became a protégé of leading dancehall performer Bounty Killer, supplying material for Bounty and for acts on the Alliance roster such as Scare Dem Crew, which included Elephant Man.

Independent success arrived for Kartel in 2002 through a run of solo tracks such as “Guns Like Mine,” “Badman,” and “Most High,” along with joint efforts alongside reggae singer Wayne Marshall. Recognition as deejay of the year at Stone Love Sound System’s 30th anniversary celebration confirmed his standing within Jamaica’s dancehall community, yet 2003 brought international visibility when Up 2 Di Time appeared to strong reviews and an onstage confrontation with Ninjaman at the Sting festival in Portmore generated additional attention. Although the clash had been scheduled in advance, physical scuffles produced widespread disorder and multiple arrests; four days later Kartel issued a public apology and declared a truce with Ninjaman at a press conference.

Timeless and More Up 2 Di Time both surfaced in 2004, the year Kartel earned a MOBO nomination in the United Kingdom that was later withdrawn, along with those for Beenie Man and Sizzla, because of concerns over lyrics viewed as homophobic. The J.M.T. album and featured appearances on recordings by Rihanna and Missy Elliott arrived in 2005, yet that period also featured public discord when Kartel and Bounty Killer parted ways amid exchanged criticisms in the Jamaican media concerning personal issues and disputed songwriting attributions. Kartel departed the Killer-led Alliance organization the following year and promptly aligned with one of Bounty’s chief rivals, Beenie Man, before issuing multiple diss records aimed at Bounty’s newest protégé.

Subsequent years brought continued diss tracks and public speculation, with younger dancehall audiences aligning as Gaza supporters of Kartel or Gully backers of Mavado. A truce was declared late in 2007, but tensions resurfaced throughout 2008; in 2009 Kartel offered the single “Live We Living” as an appeal for calm. That same year he collaborated outside conventional dancehall boundaries, teaming with electro producer Diplo on a contribution to Major Lazer’s Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do. Domestic divisions between Gaza and Gully factions had grown so intense that associated gang violence prompted Prime Minister Bruce Golding to summon both artists to the capital for a peace discussion. Plans for a joint peace concert early the next year were ultimately blocked by the Minister of Culture.

Also in 2009 the single “Clarks” achieved major success for Kartel and generated two additional chart-climbing tracks centered on the same footwear brand. The 2010 album Pon Di Gaza 2.0 yielded the hits “Ramping Shop” and “Life Sweet.” In 2011 Vybz issued Kingston Story, an album whose beats were crafted by Brooklyn house producer Dre Skull. Arrested in September of that year, Kartel faced charges in the murder of music promoter Barrington “Bosie” Burton from the St. Catherine suburb of Portmore. A deluxe edition of Kingston Story appeared via the Vice label in America in 2012; although Kartel secured bail on the Burton case, fresh charges tied to the killing of alleged gang member Clive “Lizard” Williams kept him detained.

Early 2014 brought a life sentence, yet authorities permitted continued recording behind bars, allowing new music to circulate publicly. King of the Dancehall, issued in 2016, reached number two on Billboard’s reggae chart, a personal best for the deejay, aided by the popularity of “Fever.” The albums To Tanesha and Of Dons & Divas followed in 2020, the latter becoming Kartel’s fifth Top Ten reggae album in the United States. Born Fi Dis appeared in 2021, the same year he released X-Rated, the first of several EPs issued over the ensuing period. Kartel’s murder conviction was overturned in March 2024, after which the mixtape First Week Out, compiling previously unreleased material, arrived soon afterward.