Jamaican dancehall star Vybz Kartel is getting ready for his first major public performance months after he was released from prison this year.
The concert, according to sources, would take place on New Year’s Eve at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, and is expected to attract some 35,000 merrymakers.
“The importance of this concert is a whole generation of people has never seen Vybz Kartel perform…The lighting, the sound, the lasers, the surprises — it’s going to be like an NFL Super Bowl halftime show 2.0… It’s an experience you don’t want to miss,” he was quoted in an interview ahead of the show.
Kartel spent 13 years in prison before he was acquitted in July this year. He has collaborations with stars like Eminem and Rihanna. His album, Party with Me, released in May 2024, is competing for best reggae album at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
The No Regret crooner was serving a life sentence after he was convicted for the 2011 murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams.
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In March this year, he won an appeal against his sentencing in 2014, due to “juror misconduct” in the original trial.
Per the development, a Jamaican Court of Appeal was to determine whether the musician would be tried all over again. However, the 48-year-old was freed after appellate judges in Jamaica ruled against a retrial.
A ruling in favor of his appeal, in March, by the UK Privy Council indicated that: “Allowing a questionable juror to stay on the jury was “fatal to the safety of the convictions that followed” and “an infringement” of the [musician’s] fundamental right to a fair hearing.”
The trial of Vybz Kartel and his co-defendants lasted 64 days and was described as one of the longest in Jamaican history.
Born Adidja Azim Palmer on January 7, 1976, the Summertime hitmaker worked with many musicians before his incarceration.
Despite his imprisonment, the talented singer often released new music, releasing over 50 new songs in 2016 alone. His hit song, Fever, was certified gold in June 2020.
His discography includes Romping Shop (2009), Dancehall Hero (2010), and Summer Time (2011), with music collaborations including Rihanna, Jay-Z, Digga D, Missy Elliot, and many others.
