Born Adidja Palmer, Vybz Kartel has been dominating the dancehall culture for just about two years now. Every song he has released has become a hit, no matter how slack or degrading these songs are - and make no mistake about it, his songs can be very degrading.
The dancehall population, as well as his fellow deejays, have unquestionably welcomed Vybz Kartel with open arms. His style has been called genius by some, while his lyrical talent has been described as brilliant. He seems to be 'just what dancehall was looking for'.
One must wonder why such praise has been bestowed on the young deejay. Is it because of the hype that is always associated with a new artiste, or is there something behind Vybz Kartel? His lyrics are beyond a doubt suggestive of 'life in the ghetto', and it seems that art does imitate life.
One must also wonder if he treats the women that he encounters in his life in the same manner in which his songs dictate. With lyrics that cannot be printed in a national newspaper, it is astonishing to think that this deejay is one of the most popular deejays in dancehall music, presently.
Vybz Kartel makes no apologies for the content of his songs. These songs ordain violence and general carelessness towards women. It is most obvious that to him, women are seen as mere objects, strictly for his pleasure and happiness.
If dancehall is the most popular type of music in Jamaica, how can we ask why incidences of domestic violence and abuse against women are increasing or even exist?
It is no secret that our young men admire Kartel's lyrical stance. Is this the type of behaviour that we can expect from the upcoming generation of husbands?
Our crime situation in recent times has become more than distressing.
Vybz Kartel's contribution to the betterment of our country has been a song that talks about the 'bad man dem' of Portmore. Make no mistake: no one is blaming our crime problem on Vybz Kartel, not even close, but is it not a possibility that these people are influenced by his words?
Art is art, and freedom of expression is a gift that all citizens have the right to enjoy but where is responsibility in all of this?
One can only hope that his fans, which happen to be of the young and impressionable types, can differentiate between his reality and their own.
