April 7. 2020

Vybz Kartel

44-year-old dancehall recording artist, Vybz Kartel, real name Adidja Azim Palmer, has lost his appeal regarding a 2014 criminal conviction on murder charges. Kartel was convicted of murdering Clive Williams, after being found guilty by a jury of 11 people. It was the longest trial in Jamaican history. Kartel was sentenced to 35-years in prison.

This month Kartel's attorney Valerie Neita-Robertson attempted to have him freed via an appeal. However, the appeal was denied by the Jamaican courts. Kartel's fans are upset with his attorney. However, she is not to blame. He has to take responsibility for his actions.

Prior to this incident, Kartel was tried for murdering another man. In 2013, Kartel was tried for the murder of Barrington Burton, but the case failed. However, in light on the Williams murder, I am not convinced of Kartel's innocence.

Shortly after, he murdered Williams. It is a pattern of criminal behavior. The line has to be drawn somewhere. The same rules must apply for all people in society. To defeat crime it must be addressed at every turn, regardless of who commits it. The government was right to uphold his criminal conviction, in denying the appeal. There is audio evidence of one of the murders.

The government has to consider the families and friends of the murder victim(s). Releasing Kartel after such a short time is an insult to the victim(s) and their loved ones. Anybody would want justice for their loved ones.

Kartel must pay his debt to society like anyone else who commits murder. It is also clear that Kartel needs to be rehabilitated. He needs to repent of this behavior. It is harmful to others. No one has the right to deprive another of their life. It is a sin. It is wrong. He needs to seek God's forgiveness and He will grant it.

Kartel's story is regretable. He displayed a talent for music and began recording songs. I remember when I first heard the track "Clarks" which was an ode to the famous British shoe brand loved by Jamaicans. I liked the song instantly. To me it sounded like a hit. It had a positive message and was even humorous. The song picked up steam and was played all over the world. It became a hit.

Kartel should have stuck to music and left crime alone. His career was on the up and enough where he could make money from doing shows off the strength of his hits. I was rooting for him to succeed. However, he chose to engage in crime.

He's not the first rapper to do so. In fact, there are rappers in America and Britain as well who are behind bars for engaging in violent criminal behavior. This element of human behavior present in rap music must be removed. Get on the straight and narrow path.

I encourage all rappers to leave the criminal lifestyle alone. Stick to your music. There are ways to make money from streaming, doing shows, Instagram ads, website ads and music publishing. You can put some of your earnings into other business ventures, such as a small but profitable restaurant or clothing business. Then once that picks up, you can build on your assets from there.

STORY SOURCE

Dancehall Reacts To Vybz Kartel Appeal Verdict, Fans Blast Attorney

April 3, 2020 - The dancehall community is reacting to Vybz Kartel losing his appeal case, and some fans are now blasting his defense attorney, Valerie Neita-Robertson. Social Media erupted last night when it was announced to the public that the results of Vybz Kartel’s appeal would be revealed on Friday, April 3, 2020. Fans went crazy, predicting the best outcome and how they would react if the deejay were released.

Others weren’t so enthusiastic about the appeal as they expressed distrust in the whole “Free World Boss” mania. One fan commented on YouTube via Terro Don’s Channel “dem nuh wah see ghetto utes have so much power, dem nah let him out,” he predicted.

Whatever the circulating opinions were, it was clear that everyone was counting down the hours until the fate of The World Boss, The Teacher, The King of the Dancehall, all monikers of Vybz Kartel, was handed down.

As day broke, the anticipation grew even more as it was also announced last night that the event would be Livestreamed. We woke to a Jamaican social media geared towards viewing only one thing this morning. Many digital footprints went towards the historical happening, but there was, unfortunately, no fairy tale ending...