Vybz Kartel’s Freedom Street

July 31 is always a special day in my calendar, no matter the year. That being said, July 31 2024 will be written down in the annals of not only Jamaican music history but also the island’s court system’s structure as that was the date that Vybz Kartel and his co-accused were set free. For 13 years, Adidja Palmer has been quote, unquote fighting the system after his arrest for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams in 2011 and subsequent conviction time of 35 years handed down some three years after.

It was only in March 2024 that the United Kingdom’s privy council – Jamaica’s final court of appeal – quashed the original conviction, opening the door to the possibility of Vybz being set free which happened just four months after. Interestingly, as a tribute to either Vybz’s resourcefulness or the underlining corruption of the Jamaican penal system or a little bit of both, it could be argued that Vybz Kartel experienced his most important time as both a hitmaker and overall influence within the dancehall while being behind bars. “Fever” (2016) – his biggest solo international hit, “Business” (2013), “Mhm Hm” (2017) – which led to supermarkets packaging raw peanuts, nutmeg, Supligen and oats together as a direct result of this song’s popularity,”Under Water” (2018) , “Money Pon Mi Brain” (2015) and “Mi Nuh Trust People” (2016) all were songs that dominated the soundscape of Jamaican music for months and added greatly to the Portmore native’s substantial musical legacy.

This fact is made even more significant with the, almost, weekly fight for relevance that dancehall acts are constantly engaged in. So the question is why I am writing about this. Well, I just completed a form to cover a December 31 2024 DownSounds Entertainment presents Vybz Kartel Freedom St. stage show scheduled to commemorate his return to the world outside of the prison system. Jamaica’s National Stadium will be the backdrop to a night that might rival, or maybe even surpass another event BACKAYARD had the privilege of covering, and strangely under similar circumstances – Buju Banton’s Long Walk To Freedom. Anticipated as one of the biggest concerts in Kingston since the above-mentioned Buju show,

Freedom St. is seen as an event that could not only kickstart the fourth, maybe, fifth arc to Vybz Kartel’s musical career but to also revitalize a genre that is not only seen as mostly unmarketable but too hyper localized to consistently sell or stream significant numbers. That is how big this concert has the potential of being. At the time of writing no other details have been revealed apart from December 31st … National Stadium … Vybz Kartel. Despite that we are prepared to be wowed as although Vybz Kartel has never been known as a legendary performer, he certainly knows how to maximize a situation to his benefit. What bigger situation is there than what is slated to happen on December 31st when the eyes of the world will be squarely on the self proclaimed ‘World Boss’.

The above appeared in the “Yeah I Said It” in BACKAYARD Issue 31 and encapsulates the feeling on the ground before this event. Since this event, Vybz Kartel had United States visa reinstated, attended the Grammy awards, appeared on some of the most popular vlogs locally and internationally, get booked for a summer concert appearance in the UK and perform at the MOBO awards – all while having millions of fans track his every move and utterances in real time. The concert itself showed the ever present dichotomy of the unity that can help grow the genre which is currently seen as the voice of the people and unfortunately the divisiveness of the players within the dancehall community, and their various global fanbases. An impressive example of the very real reach and influence of the career of the self proclaimed, but many times endorsed, ‘World Boss’. For me the only question would be if now will Kartel now work as a legacy act, perform his most loved hits around the world sometimes attached to major festivals or would he try to chase the allure of the relevance, as THE premier dancehall act, he once had. Only time will tell!