By Travis Weekes (2025)
The Vybz Kartel controversy continues. There was an uproar in some sectors against the One Caribbean Music Festival planned for Carnival Friday, at which Jamaican Dancehall Artist, Vybz Kartel, would have been a headliner. Soca artist, Yankee Boy, even launched a hunger strike in protest. Will Vybz Kartel cause a rupture in the traditional Soca culture that characterizes Carnival Friday in Trinidad, I wondered? There had been much opposition by some Trinidadians to the planned performance by Vybz Kartel on carnival Friday, 2025. This caused me to ponder the basis of this apprehension to a Kartel infusion of Jamaican Dancehall culture during Trinidad’s Soca season. Some festivities have their own peculiarities, which, if disturbed by external influences, can cause severe ruptures in parts of the social fabric.
CAPLETON: THE SAINT LUCIA EXPERIENCE OF DECEMBER 2000
Thinking of Kartel’s planned performance on Carnival Friday in Port of Spain, I reflected upon an event that occurred in December 31, 2000, in Castries, Saint Lucia. That morning when two dreadlocked men, after having bludgeoned a nun to death, entered the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and proceeded to set a priest and several worshippers on fire. The priest would later succumb to his wounds. I began to think about the impact of the new Kartel making rounds on the block.
Traditionally, there would be a special atmosphere in Saint Lucia during the month of December, which had developed over several decades. As the month begins, the entire nation gets caught up in preparations for celebrations of National Day on December 13. Schools’ out from the Friday before, and the youth are drawn to participate in several state-organized activities, some ceremonial, such as parades and other fun-filled such as Greasy Pole and Greasy Pig. There would be general excitement in anticipation of “Asou Square”, a fair on Derek Walcott Square, formerly Columbus Square. This would be the place for the launch of the annual folk traditions of the masquerade and the Papa Diable. This atmosphere was created by the practice of completely local traditions that had grown organically out of the various social relations among those people alike or different. The Papa Diable (Black Devil) tradition is a peaceful, though dialogical critique that was juxtaposed against the Christian teachings, right at the door of the church. There was never any record of violence, in spite of the fact that the masked figure of the Devil poked and frightened the children out of their wits.
That particular year, however, something would change. Some smart promoter brought in Capleton to perform a “More Fire” concert smack in the middle of the local festivities. It was right after this that the two dreadlocked men descended upon Castries and decided to set fire upon Pope Paul and Rome. Interestingly, Rome is still standing, so is the Cathedral in Castries, but a nun and a priest lost their lives and the young men are serving a life sentence.
Therefore, because of that experience in Saint Lucia, I did understand the apprehension by the Trinidad traditionalists to the importation of Vybz Kartel into the Friday Soca boat. I do wonder however whether the Trinidadian culture has not been already ‘shocked” by the Jamaican Dancehall culture and for this reason Kartel would have caused no surprises.
KARTEL RAW AND THE PORT-OF-SPAIN GAZA
Kartel is as raw as you can get. He has nomalised the liberal use of the terms “pussy” and “cocky” among a generation of youth. In the dancehall genre, only Alkaline, another Jamaican artist, comes close to him in expressive sexual candour. Kartel has very skillfully appealed to that section of the youth from the “underclass” who are caught up in the gun culture. In Kartel’s music, the phallic, penetrative function and image of the gun and knife, is made almost synonymous with “cocky” power. As frightening as this may sound, the poetry of the lyrics coupled with the rhythm of the music and Kartel’s catchy vocals renders the music infectious. I resisted Kartel for many years. The father and teacher in me scoffed at his vulgarity. Yet some tunes did catch me.
Kartel has also been the poet of the Gaza, the rival group of the Gully (rival groups in Jamaica), who got their own inspiration from another Dancehall artist, Movado. The rivalry between these communities developed into actual violent encounters, such as drive-by shootings, that spilled over into the wider society.
The disenfranchised youth in the inner cities of Port of Spain found models in Jamaican artists such as Kartel, Alkaline and Movado. A Trinibad and “Zess” culture developed, and as in Jamaica, communities of youth became rivals, had their own poets and the violent gun and knife culture became glamourized by the artists through the music and music videos. Such was the tremendous impact Kartel has had. He was dubbed the “ World Boss’ and assumed a god-like persona. Popular Trinibad artist, Rebel Sixx, (Rifle War) who credited Vybz Kartel as a major influence would meet his own demise when he was gunned down near his home in the year 2020. He was only 26. K Lion (Malandros) who originated from Belmont died in Miami from an apparent seizure and heart complications. He too was 26 years old.
The Trinibad and Zess culture reached its own violent proportions with rival factions identifying as “6” and “7”. Last October, there were several attempts on the life of artist KMan 6ixx. “According to the Sunday Express, on December 27, 2023, an attempt was made on the dancehall star’s life during the now infamous Churchill-Roosevelt Highway shooting that claimed the lives of brothers Levi and Damian Kriss and Jerry Hollingsworth. Small business owner Lana Sahadeo was also killed in the incident after being shot by a stray bullet while looking out a window of her Spring Village home.”
Against this background, any concern that Vybz Kartel as a headliner could have energized the gang rivalry in Port of Spain sounds legitimate. Carnival is a national event, and Carnival Friday would be an occasion for the nation’s youth to be let loose to partake freely in Soca revelry. Ostensibly, the presence and music of Kartel could have skewed the expressions of the youth more to the Zess and Trinibad culture that is associated with illegal drugs and gang rivalry.
IS THERE A NEW KARTEL?
Yet this may not have been the case. Since Kartel’s release, we have met Adidja Palmer, an obviously highly intelligent artist who made a conscious decision to create the persona of Vybz Kartel, whom he developed into a very successful entertainer. This we can discern more clearly now because of his expressed penitence at the trouble caused by Kartel which landed Adidja Palmer in prison. The World Boss, it seems, has been demystified. In his various post-prison-released tours, Kartel has been using his immense popularity to spread messages of non-violence and “stay in school” to Caribbean students. Since his release, as well, there has been a proliferation of videos on Social Media with the apparent objective of portraying him in a new light. Kartel is portrayed as an ordinary individual playfully interacting with all and sundry around him. He is seen frequently with his children or his new fiancé in scenes that portray warmth and friendliness. Indeed, he can win the prize of Mr. Congeniality.
The decision by the government of Trinidad and Tobago to restrict Kartel’s now end-of-May visit to stage performances suggests that some segments of the community are still unconvinced that he can impact the youth positively. Kartel’s response is instructive. He has not sought to persuade the authorities otherwise but has instead reiterated his role as mere entertainer. Only time and Adidja Palmer himself can prove whether there can be a successful rebranding to render Vybz Kartel as a positive influence on the youth. Does Kartel have a wide enough repertoire that can cause him to stay clear of any songs that speak to gangs, sexual irresponsibility, and violence? Would he be willing to build a new repertoire to speak positively and directly to the youth? Or will he continue “ramping” as a mere entertainer? Only Time and Kartel will tell.
