Dancehall

Dancehall Reacts To Vybz Kartel Statement Claiming “Dancehall Is Incarcerated”

“Dancehall is in jail,” was a strong statement made by incarcerated dancehall star Vybz Kartel during an interview earlier this week.

According to the self-proclaim Worl’Boss, dancehall has been seeing a steady decline since his arrest in 2011.

DETAILS: Vybz Kartel: “Dancehall is in jail” Calls Current Artists Pathetic

“Since I’ve been in jail, reggae has taken over because it’s a refreshing alternative to dancehall for the young kids who realise the artistes of dancehall are just recycling Kartel lyrics and flow. It’s pathetic,” Vybz Kartel said.

That statement did not go down well with several personalities in dancehall.

Vybz Kartel pic

Although most of dancehall has remained silent since Vybz Kartel made the statement, one popular producer spoke with Urban Islandz on condition of anonymity.

“Dancehall was big before Kartel and will be even bigger after Kartel,” the famed producer, who frequently produced hits for some top acts in dancehall, told Urban Islandz.

“It’s an arrogant statement from someone who got a lot of help to reach where he is now and from someone who has yet to break into the mainstream of music,” the producer added.

“There is no question he [Vybz Kartel] is a good artists but there is also no question there are several other artists doing great things for dancehall, artists like Konshens, I-Octane, Popcaan, Busy Signal, to name a few, you have to give artists respect where respect is due,” the producer continues.

The producer also told Urban Islandz that several artists felt disrespected by the statement but are keeping quiet to avoid any feud.

Dancehall fans have also been responding on Twitter and on Urban Islandz Facebook page.

Vybz Kartel’s new album Kartel Forever: Trilogy is now in stores. The “Benz Punany” deejay has been doing the promotional rounds through Tads Records and feeling a lot of questions from the media.

Do you think artists should respond to Vybz Kartel statement?

Comments below.

23 Comments

  1. SpliffMaster Don Mezimi

    Kartel is the BIGGEST artist in Dancehall world wide not only in Jamaica so Mr. anonymous producer should remain anonymous forever because he/she/it knows better than to bad up kartel statement & by the way we know it’s the genius so he ought to go bend in some loo somewhere & eat his own sh-t..#Wor’lBoss Forever.#zeen.

  2. sometimes i wonder if these people who called themselves producers even think before chatting, cause mr or ms anonymous doesnt make any sense at all. Show me the current talents in dancehall that makes sense? none, no sonscience, no movado or whatever his name is, none whatso, keep your mouth shut mr

  3. Bad statement

  4. VK is jus a song writer his songs r all auto tune he can’t perform he hardly can dj he’s the only one in jail not reggae r dancehall…Another real talk Controversy sell vk is the only artiste that don’t sell thru his controversies Real Talk… Competing artiste sell more album n singles…Another Real Talk

  5. I have to agree with Neville Wright. What he is saying that without his musical talents, lyrics it is not the same since he has been in jail. Majority of the new artist have piggie back off of what he had been singing all long. No offense to those artist, because we do love Konshens, I-Octane, BUGLE , Busy Signal and a whole lot of other artist that are just as great. They were not able to shine because Vybz Kartel was making new singles everyday. So the public did not see their full potential. Yes they were there prior to Vybz Kartel arrest but really they did not stand out until he was arrested.

    We as the public has to know this is entertainment and very important to anyone as an individual that they must be arrogant about their business. If he doesn’t believe in himself 100% who will believe in him? If those other artist don’t believe what he is saying is true, well prove him and everyone that believes this wrong and make the music.

    I follow #dancehall and some of the things that these artist is coming out with is not all that. If Vybz Kartel made 15 songs in a month 10 of them were a hit. So I feel if they want to see a change figure out what he did to do this….and make hits…

  6. I HAVE A QUESTION TO ASK ALL OF THE DANCE HALL PEOPLE OK… IF BUTTA DID NOT INTRODUCE KARTEL TO THE 5STARS GENERAL WHERE KARTEL MUSICAL LIFE WILL BE NOW?

  7. Kemal Rumflood Jackson

    dancehall was doing well, still doing well inside a BOX, then kartel stepped outside the BOX, everybody gonna like what them like still but u have to admit kertel tek it to another level, a level which some artist cant go, some refuse to go and some jus afraid to go. life change so is music

  8. i jus think kartel knows how to keep people talking…and get attention hence keep him self current….its the same technique he uses over and over again

  9. unlock di dancehall fi we cah since him gone, him took dancehall along.al di while we ar wait for dancehall.

  10. personally for me he is a good artiste but no one is bigger than dance hall not even him not even shabba so i think that statement was a little over the top

  11. Kirkland Jason Edwards

    Who the F kartel think he is….? Yow editor tell kartel to start pick chink from his skin and leave dancehall alone, because he is indeed a musical mockery…

  12. Real talk. A good artist. But that fu–ry statement!

  13. What did he meant, when he said dancehall is in Jail ? One should looked at what he had said in totality, rather the that particular statement. Without a shadow of a doubt Kartel hasn’t reached the zenith of Shabba Ranks, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Damian Marley, Bounti Killa, nor Beenie Man nor was he alluded to that…What personally I gathered from Kartel was the brute fact that the flow and lyrical contents. Prior to Kartel we had raved over the lyrical prowess of many dancehall acts like Lt. Stichie, Papa San Professor Nuts AS THREE MOST POTENT LYRICISTS of the last 25 years or more, Buju Banton , Mad Cobra, Bounti Killa, Damian Marley & Sizzla are within that category , But Kartel has now changed the game totally. Like early days of rap compared to what is there now. Music is a part of humanity , hence as we evolve so will the music, and often time we have pioneers, and this particular genre have many over the years., However, I do agree that the business doesn’t need a Kartel to survive, but to ignore his contribution as a game changer is drenched in self-denial on our part. In the latter part of the ’80’s 2 Dj’s had emerged from the darkness and ignited the musical landscape the surpa$$es the days of king yellowman and his ilks they were Ninja Man & Shabba Ranking or Ranks from then on they were many imitators of these two Dj’s style…just ask Buju Banton , Mad Cobra, & Bounti Killa…hence it has happened already, happening and perhaps will happen again & again as long as music of the people is around. Kartel is not Dancehall but he now represent the direction to which the genre is heading…and that’s what in jail at the moment…but the likes of Aidonia and others are basically using some style that are very similar to Kartel in terms of content, delivery and flow…that’s what the youths of this era are gravitating to…and I suspect that somewhere in Jamaica there are some young artists that Kartel had impacted, will emerged with flow and content that will be sicker than Kartel…even Kartel in a former interview had stated that…so please do not misconstrued what Kartel had said, but just look at what he had said collectively…”and pick sense outta nonsense”

  14. dem scared for talk because they kno world boss done they careers

  15. Dancehall is in jail all the artists are fake

  16. Rayon Kemar Copeland

    pop who ?

  17. yes they should!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! make world boss style dem wicked dwlllllllllllllllll

  18. Dancehall is in Jail … The statement of Kartel is True Free Up Worl’boss Fi wi … Big Up Addi Di Teacher .. Kartel forever .. They Artist Are Keeping Quite Because they all know what Kartel is saying is The Truth ..

  19. Dancehall is in Jail … The statement of Kartel is True Free Up Worl’boss Fi wi … Big Up Addi Di Teacher .. Kartel forever .. They Artist Are Keeping Quite Because they all know what Kartel is saying is The Truth ..

  20. Dancehall is in Jail … The statement of Kartel is True Free Up Worl’boss Fi wi … Big Up Addi Di Teacher .. Kartel forever .. They Artist Are Keeping Quite Because they all know what Kartel is saying is The Truth ..