As he made his exit from the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre, Dancehall star Vybz Kartel sounded a warning for young, wayward youths. Heading to a limousine with an orange handkerchief partially covering his face, he was swarmed by reporters eager to capture his feelings about regaining his freedom.
When asked about his feelings on being released, the Fever artist expressed his joy simply.
“Mi feel good. Is a joy,” he told CVM Television reporters.
The artist, who hails from Portmore, then offered a stark reflection on his time in prison. Likening it to the underworld, he issued a strong message to young people: “Hell, hell, hell,” he said, describing his experience. “An mi a tell di yute dem seh stay outta f_ckey!”
Moments later, seated in his limousine, the Calabar High School old boy reiterated his message, highlighting once more the futility of prison life.
“Tell di yute dem fi stay outta crime bredrin! It nuh worth it. A waste a life an waste a time bredda!” he urged.
In response to the videos, some fans noted changes in Kartel’s voice and appearance, while others praised what appeared to be a new, positive outlook on life.
“I hope he start to sing songs that will make young ppl now wanna put down badness. His experience wasn’t good, am sure. He telling young ppl please listen. He won’t come back same as how everyone expects, cause what he been through no one knows the hell he felt there. God bless you, Kartel, come make a difference. God give you another chance to make it right,” One woman said.
Another supporter echoed the sentiment, saying that the Portmore native now should strive to be a good example for young men.
“Facts! Please be an advocate of change. Jamaica really needs it. 13 years of your life just wasted just like that because of foolishness! Let the thousands of young men that look up to you know that crime doesn’t pay. It’s either jail house or an early exit from this earth! It nuh worth it!” she noted.
Kartel’s release came yesterday, hours before Jamaica’s Emancipation Day, when President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Marva McDonald-Bishop, announced that he and his co-defendants were free to go.
Justice McDonald-Bishop led a panel of judges that included Justices Paulette Williams and David Fraser.
Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, had been accused, along with Shawn ‘Shawn Storm’ Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John, of killing Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams in 2011. The men, who consistently denied involvement, were found guilty in 2014. While the Court of Appeal initially upheld the convictions in 2020, the London-based Privy Council, Jamaica’s highest court, overturned the verdict in March 2024 due to juror misconduct. The Privy Council then directed the case back to the Court of Appeal to determine if a retrial was necessary.
This decision ultimately led to Kartel’s release.
