Did Vybz Kartel Make A Deal With The Devil?

2011 was a monumental year for Vybz Kartel, one of Dancehall’s most recognizable figures.  With the release of his critically acclaimed album “Kingston Story” on Mixpak records, Vybz solidified his place as the king of the Jamaican dancehall.  Vybz seemed to be on top off it all, scoring the cover of Fader magazine and managing his empire of Vybz branded products which include; rum, clothing, condoms and of course “cake soap“.

All seemed well in Vybz’s world until news broke on in early October that Vybz along with some of his associates, had been charged with murder.

Following the incarceration of Kartel, whose real name is Adiijah Palmer, police released details claiming they had video as well as physical evidence linking Kartel to two separate murders.  Besides being hit with two murder charges, Kartel was also charged with illegal possession of a weapon as well as a ganja charge.  The shocking turn of events left the dancehall world upside down.  To many Jamaicans the accusations came as a total surprise, but it seems as though a few wise old souls may have seen it coming.

The Vybz Kartel dancehall fans had grown to know over the last couple of years, since he squashed his beef with dancehall hero Mavado, was preoccupied with singing songs about money, cars, women and wine.  Jamaica and dancehall fans alike seemed to have forgotten about the Vybz Kartel of years passed who was known for his songs based on tails of violence, drugs, guns, revenge and murda.

2009 Seemed to be a turning point for Adiijah Palmer.  Vybz Kartel and Mavado, with the aide of the Jamaican government and a Kingston famous drug lord, publicly called an end to their feud which was at the time literally dividing the nation as a whole.  With the public end to the feud behind him, Vybz moved forward with a renewed sense of positivity and optimism, leaving behind him his days of singing about violence and revenge.

What could have caused Vybz Kartel to changes his ways?  To get a better understanding of that you must first get to the bottom of why Vybz Kartel had a feud with Mavado in the first place.  Vybz and Mavado were both originally aligned with dancehall legend Bounty Killer and his Gully crew in their humble beginnings.  In the following interview the famed Bounty Killer speaks on his relation with Vybz (who he refers to as his “child”) and why he will never work with him or his Gaza crew again.

Killer speaks on why he and his Gully crew publicly split with Palmer.  Although it’s difficult to make out all of what Bounty says in this interview, he clearly says “I will not immoral without a line where we don’t cross, Kartel never stop “.  In this interview Bounty Killer mentions that Adiijah Palmer is a 33rd degree Free Mason.  This fact has been publicly acknowledged by Kartel himself.  He’s even gone so far as to tout it in the lyrics to one of his songs; “Mi reach 33 degreess heights a evil”.  Bounty killer goes on to say “..A man like that is a sinner, deep Satanic..”.  Bounty Killer mentions that one of his main issues with Vybz Kartel is his endorsement of the skin bleaching of dark skinned people.  He makes an interesting point when he equates skin bleaching with the selling of one’s soul.  ”When they bleach out their face they can’t change it again and when you give away your soul you can’t regain it.”  Bounty Killer makes it clear where he stands on Vybz’s relation to the secret fraternal order but goes on to say that he is not seeking a feud with Vybz only that he will never work with him again.

So when a man that goes by the name Bounty Killer refuses to work with Vybz because he believes he has sold his soul to the devil, it’s hard to not wonder if there is some merit to the accusations.  Vybz had it all, success, fame, money and the admiration of a nation but somehow it seems to have slipped through his hands.  Although he has not been proven guilty in a court of law his situation does not look optimistic.  Did Vybz get caught up in a world of greed and power?  Did his thirst for control ultimately lead to his downfall?

“Yeah man, I want to be everything.  I want to be the omnipotent.  In terms of owning everything I do, because Vybz Kartel is a person who loves control.” (Fader Magazine #74)

The question is how far was Vybz willing to go to achieve his goal?  Now whether you believe in God or the Devil, it’s hard not to see a transition in the life style and ways of Vybz Kartel since he publicly ended his feud with Mavado.  With his shift from singing songs of murder to singing about more positive things, Adiijah seemed to be leaving the old Vybz Kartel behind.  Despite his transition towards positivity it seems as though Kartel couldn’t escape his violence filled past.  Regardless of the logistics of trading one’s soul to the devil, it seems evident that there would be some sort of consequence for the decision.  Most people that believe in the devil would say that if a person has sold their soul to the devil they will be sent to hell in the afterlife.  As Vybz Kartel sits in a Jamaican jail cell, it must appear to him as if he is already there.

Whether or not Vybz Kartel made a deal, figuratively or literally with the devil, he did make one of the best albums of 2011 and for that we congratulate him!!

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