Vybz Kartel:The Unsung Hero or Convicted Murderer

Adidja Azim Palmer better known as ‘Vybz Kartel’ is viewed by many as Dancehall’s best entertainer and Jamaica’s most talented artist. They come to this conclusion based on the sleek choice of words he utilizes combined with the sensational sense of rhythm associated with his music. Vybz Kartel emerged on the Dancehall scene, early in the 21st century, in 2002 to be specific, after a clash at one of Jamaica’s most prominent stage shows, Sting. The clash pitted him against an established stalwart in Jamaican music by the name of Desmond Ballentine, better known as Ninja Man. This clash made headlines in local newspapers as it was filled with controversy. The clash ended with a strike to the mouth of Ninja Man from Vybz Kartel with the microphone he was using knocking one of Ninja Man’s teeth out. This can be seen as the point where his career took off as there was no turning back from here.

From then until now, Vybz Kartel has only improved in his approach to the music business. He has made himself more diverse as an artiste, by moving from being solely a musician to boosting the commercial aspect of his career by establishing a brand for himself. This was achieved by creating his own group known as “Portmore Empire” which consisted of popular artistes such as Popcaan, Black Rhyno, Tommy Lee, Gaza Slim and more, most of which if not all are from the same city as Vybz Kartel, Portmore. Being the creator of the “Portmore Empire” it was only fit that he carry the lucrative titled give to him, as, “Worl Boss”

Vybz Kartel is currently serving life imprisonment for the murder of Clive 'Lizard' Williams at his home in Havendale, a suburb north of Kingston, on 16 August 2011. Mr. Palmer was subsequently charged and sentenced on 3 April 2014 and will not be eligible for parole for 35 years. The decision handed down by the court has been viewed in different ways by the public. However, the question is, should Vybz Kartel be shunned by society and branded as an outcast for a single offense?

In order to answer this question, we need to understand the type of person he was before being convicted of this heinous crime. Adidja Palmer has been exposed to the ‘struggle’ of growing up in the Jamaican inner-city areas. These so-called ‘ghettos’ have a stigma attached to them in which the typical person brought up in this area will be uneducated and faces a high possibility of becoming a criminal. In his songs, Vybz Kartel attempts to address this issue through his music. He does so by giving his listeners/fans a realistic view of what it’s like to live this lifestyle. Also, through his music, Adidja Palmer attempts to reach out to these under-privileged persons and sending a message to them. Persons from these areas tend to admire him for what he has accomplished and this popularity is how he is able to achieve his purpose. This message comes in various forms as he is not limited in the topics he chooses to cover in his songs. Another interesting point to note is that his music is aimed at all persons, regardless of your economic standing. He composes his songs in such a way that even if you are not a fan of this particular artiste or genre of music on a whole, you will still be able to appreciate them for all the aforementioned reasons.

Vybz Kartel can be described as a humanitarian. The way he goes about expressing his ideas may not be the norm, however, upon careful analysis, one will realize that there a lot of positives to be found in the content of his music. The music Vybz Kartel makes is about life, real life situations. We are not always cognizant of these situations but these are things that are happening every day. Examples of these are the struggles that children have to face due to the fact that they come from the ghetto; boys that have no choice but to be selling various forms of contraband, such as marijuana and cocaine, for the “Don” in their area, or simply to be able to provide for their family and allow them to live a relatively comfortable life. This music is made for the young men who grow up being exposed to nothing but guns and drugs.

An actual example of how these issues are dealt with in his songs can be seen in a song done in January 2006 which is entitled “Emergency”. In this song he is essentially pleading to the Jamaican government for help. “Them raise everything from oil to Craven-A, but how them never raise up everybody pay!” This is a line taken directly from the song just to give the reader a gist of what is said in the song. These are the type of songs that young adults, future leaders and even the older generation should be listening to so that we can try and change the way things are. That is essentially the point of his music.

On the other hand, one cannot disregard the fact that Adidja Palmer is a convicted murderer. This arrest has negatively affected his brand and how people view his character. This in turn, hurt his social career because many parents have told their children that he is a murderer and discouraged these young minds from listening to his music. This may be seen as hypocrisy though as they themselves, regardless of whether they are adults or not, they are listening to the likes of Ninja Man, Buju Banton and Supa Cat who are all Jamaican artistes that have been through the prison system many a time. As a matter of fact, Buju Banton is currently imprisoned in American prison for being caught in possession of Cocaine. This has not only been a problem faced by the Jamaican music industry as this is happening all across the world. All these persons have been put through the roughest of times and yet still are popular in their various societies. Good examples of persons like these are Tip “T.I.” Harris, Curtis “50Cent” Jackson and Chris Brown. We can go as far as mentioning hip-hop sensation, Justin Bieber, who despite being many children’s favorite singer, has been arrested for under aged drinking. One then needs to ask oneself if we are to stop listening to music on a whole.

Don’t get me wrong, Vybz Kartel is no saint. I know he has made some music that is extremely explicit which includes various profanities and expletives. He even goes as far as mentioning certain things that are frowned upon in some societies but he shouldn’t be discredited for the multitude of uplifting and society related music he has made. He has done some terrible things in his life, or so it is alleged and/or said in his songs, but we all have done bad things, and no sin is worse than another. His music is not always the first choice for a parent, obviously, but to tell your children not to listen to his music because he is a convicted murderer is unfair, even though it is completely your decision as to what you want your children to listen to or not to listen to. Parents should come up with more appropriate reasons for you not to want them to listen to his music such as a genuine dislike for this type of music or because it’s not something that you find appropriate for their age or something of that sort. But at the same time their listening to his and many others’ music will allow for them to be more aware and informed about the lives of the less fortunate than them or even to allow them to see that they are not alone if they are in the same situation.

In retrospect, there is no right answer to the question of whether Vybz Kartel is an Unsung Hero or Convicted Murderer. It all lies upon the discretion of the person answering the question. The deciding factor, more often than not, seems to be where one’s focus lies. If you are not able to look past what he has done or the mistakes he has made then you will tend to choose the latter. However, if you are the type of person who believes that everyone deserves a second chance then you may be able to overlook what he has done and truly evaluate his intentions, possibly leading to choosing the former. Which will you choose?