His dominance in Dancehall music business while behind bars remains a secret like the Colonel’s recipe, yet his fans believe this new 2020 album could earn him that long-awaited GRAMMY nod.
Kartel’s first album, Up 2 Di Time, was released in 2003. His new full-length studio album, Of Dons & Divas was produced by Kartel’s Vybz Kartel Muzik imprint, and by Short Boss Muzik and according to Vybz Kartel’s press release, “has more features than an iPhone 20.” The album sees the World Boss return to more familiar Dancehall beats after experimenting with Hip-Hop and R&B sounds on To Tanesha album, which was co-produced by his wife Shorty. The album also houses celebrated producers Jay-Crazie, and Ricardo “Red Boom Reid” is also on the album, which will be distributed by Zojak World Wide.
Zojak granted The Billboard an exclusive interview via email with Kartel on his first interview in four years amidst serving a life sentence. “Being in prison for the last nine years definitely took a toll on my family, my parents, and especially my kids, early on. It caused me and my woman’s (Shorty) relationship to be destroyed as far as intimate love is concerned but we’re very cool and have never been in a better place,” Kartel commented.
The album features his sons, Jaheim (Likkle Vybz) 17 and Akheel (Likkle Addi) 15. The album enjoys a mix of love anthems, songs addressing inequality among the poor and rich, gangster songs, and girl anthems that have the potential to run the billboard charts. “A winning formula never really changes, it just gets wider, more ‘depthy’ so it’s Kartel in his usual vybz,” he says in The Billboard interview. “This album has more features than the new S Class Benz, a new generation of dons and divas.”
Vybz Kartel’s lawyers three days after this album release on June 29th will return to the corridors of justice to make a motion to have his case heard by the UK’s Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the final appellate court for jamaica. Kartel is eligible for parole in 2046.
In other news, Kenya’s rapper Petra took to social media on Friday to tease fans with her upcoming collaboration with the incarcerated singer. The songstress will become the first African female rapper to work with the Jamaican star who last collaborated with Nigerian star, Wizkid.
01. Nice Tingz Intro (Divas)
02. Nice Tings (Divas)
03. Cute Rider Intro (Divas)
04. Cute Rider (Divas)
05. Bad Gyal feat. Skilliebeng, Jucee Froot & Tommy Lee (Divas)
06. Say A Praya (Divas)
07. No Prison (Divas)
08. Pretty Butterfly feat. Lisa Hype (Divas)
09. Love Things Solved feat. Sikka Rymes (Divas)
10. It Was Heaven (Divas)
11. Presidental feat. Sikka Rymes & Daddy1 (Dons)
12. State Evidence feat. Lisa Mercedes (Dons)
13. Militant Coup feat. Likkle Vybz, Slimativ & Likkle Addi (Dons)
14. Depend On You feat. Sikka Rymes (Dons)
15. Worldboss feat. Lisa Mercedes & Redboom (Dons)
16. Dons & Divas feat. Danii Boo (Dons)
17. Big Bizniz feat. Teejay (Dons)
18. Jump On The Beat feat. Liklkle Vybz & Squash (Dons)
Written by @Vincent
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