Drake is showing love to one of his biggest inspirations in music, Vybz Kartel, who recently got engaged to Sidem Ozturk.
On his Instagram Story, Drizzy shared an image of Vybz Kartel and Ozturk posing together. The photo was taken with Kartel during one of his family fun day visits in prison over the summer. Drake did not share any commentary, but it’s all love between the two artists. The Canadian rapper has long been a fan and friend of Kartel. In a 2016 interview, he joined the “FreeVybzKartel” movement and noted, “Addi ah mi daddy.”
“Vybz Kartel is one of my biggest inspirations, one of my favorite artists, you want to talk about a guy coming out of a place that has their own thing, their own culture, and absolutely just taking over,” he said about the artist.
“The one person to idolize… no matter what people are always holding up Vybz as an icon,” he added.
Drake, who visited Jamaica during the tense Gully vs. Gaza era as Vybz Kartel and Mavado and their fans clashed, also almost got arrested after going to a stage show and cursing (using Jamaican expletives like bumboc***t, etc., are illegal based on The Town and Communities Act (1843).
Drake also shared that he was a big Vybz Kartel fan, and he had taken the side of Gaza despite being friendly with Mavado. However, he and Mavado had a major falling out, the details of which are still unclear. Reports had suggested that Drake allegedly dissed Mavado after he reportedly misused funds- US$25,000 the Canadian rapper had donated to build a recreational and learning center to assist the youths of Cassava Piece.
“N***a’s want piece like Cassava but we let bridge dem burn like grabba/ Boy 4 in the clips and one in the headie / Hand no shake man I hold that steady,” Drake raps.
The latest photo by Drake does seem to suggest that he and Kartel are in a good place, especially since speculation had been circulating that he and Kartel had fallen out last year when Kartel noted his displeasure that Drake, a foreign artist was the top-most streamed artist in Jamaica.
“Jamaica people stop ‘Worry unuh farin mind’ and start supporting local music more,” Kartel said in a lengthy post on Instagram. “And don’t tell me no crap bout production quality cause a lot a dem foreign song de are poorly produced and sound like sh*t quality wise.”
“Nuh matter who 1st, from dancehall win we all win, stop play wid me genre #dancehallcyaa stall member a we invent hip-hop,” he ended.
Vybz Kartel noted that fans are free to listen to whatever music they choose to but scold them for not streaming more local artists’ music.
Kartel has not reacted to Drake’s post. The artist’s fiancée Sidem recently spoke about their relationship and how she quit her psychologist job in England to relocate to Jamaica to be closer to him.
In her interview, she spoke about being in love with the artist and hopeful about them being able to move on with their life after he is released from prison. Vybz Kartel is serving a life sentence along with three others for the murder of his associate “Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams. Kartel won’t be eligible for parole until he has served 35 years in jail. The dancehall legend is appealing his conviction and is awaiting a decision by Jamaica’s highest court of appeal, the Privy Council in England.
