Vybz Kartel: The Dancehall King’s Comeback | Billboard Cover

After being released from prison after 13 years, Vybz Kartel, the king of Dancehall, is ready to reclaim his throne. The Billboard cover star takes us through a day in his life in Kingston, Jamaica, where he shares his experience of creating “Fever” in jail, how he intends to get his music cleared for streaming, his personal evolution, his thoughts on newer artists in the genre, and more!

Keep watching to see how he plans on dominating the music industry again!

Vybz Kartel:

You can’t even feel sorry for yourself like I didn’t have time to do that. I had kids to feed. I had family to take care of. I had my health issues. I was sitting in this position, you know, with the legs crossed in my cell. I was listening to the radio. He was like, “Yo, I think this is it.” This is Vybz Kartel. I’m here with Billboard. Come spend the day with me.  

Kyle Denis:

Do you feel like the scene kind of stalled when you went away? 

Yes, but it also opened up a portal for the new artists. I mean, it took a minute because Vybz Kartel’s presence is so powerful, maybe like 20 between 2016 then new artists started coming out one by one, and then the floodgates opened, like around 2020, but yeah, it took a while. So yes.

I heard you, you know, recorded one of your biggest songs in the past decade while you were away, “Fever.”

I’ve been recording, but initially I figured out how to record using an iPod, the little, small, flat ones. You know, the original rectangular ones. But a lot of time the sound was metallic because the cell didn’t have the padding like what a studio has to kill the sound, so it bounced all over the place. Then I figured out that I could use my mattress as a sponge over my head. That’s when the music started getting clearer.

Keep watching for more!