Vybz Kartel gets a major snub from the upcoming Jamaica 55 celebration event despite being an inmate in the prison system for 6 years.
Every year the Jamaican government included inmates as part of their independence celebration. Prisoners gets a chance to showcase their talents across all type of skill sets including music, furniture making among others. There were a lot of chatter that Vybz Kartel could perform at the event this year but Gazantion fans will be disappointed after getting this piece of news.
Minister of State in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Pearnel Charles Jr, confirmed with reporters last week that Vybz Kartel will not be performing and will not be a part of the event in any way shape or form. “If you’re asking me if Vybz Kartel is going to perform, the answer is no at the moment,” Pearnel Charles Jr said. “The talents are known. They expose themselves. They are involved in other projects and programmes and everybody is pretty much aware of the persons that are artistes or persons who are involved in any kind of music, art, furniture making or anything of that sort.”
Charles Jr also added that Vybz Kartel is well known as an entertainer and showcasing his talent in the program would not be of any value. Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, is serving a life sentence for a 2014 murder conviction for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. The dancehall star is appealing the conviction and that appeal trial is set for February of next year.
Despite being incarcerated since September of 2011, Vybz Kartel has remained one of the most relevant artists inside the dancehall space. His management team has been releasing a steady stream of new music including two full-length albums, prompting speculations that he has been recording music behind bars, which is illegal. He has denied those claims and the correctional department launched an investigation and concluded that there are no evidence that Kartel is recording music in prison.
