In 2014, the Jamaican dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel was convicted of the murder of his associate Clive “Lizard” Williams. Shortly thereafter, he was sentenced to life in prison, though the sentence ...

Vybz Kartel served more than a decade of a murder sentence before his conviction was overturned. Despite imprisonment and a radio ban, his influence has grown. By Nia Decaille Early into his ...

Bleaching, in Jamaica, can mean one of two things. 1. Applying prescription-only steroid cream for extremely off-label use, leaching the pigment out of your skin cells to create a whiter complexion, ...

Jamaicans often say to each other, “Jamaica is not a real place,” as we shake our heads at the beauty and madness of our birthplace. On last week’s episode of Jamaica Is Not a Real Place, a day before ...

KINGSTON, Jamaica — When Vybz Kartel officially launched STR8 Vybz Rum in November 2024, he didn’t just introduce a liquor brand — he set the stage for a cultural movement. The dancehall icon declared ...

Vybz Kartel, the renowned Jamaican dancehall artist, and his girlfriend, Sidem Öztürk, also known as Sidem, have been spotted on the 2025 Grammy Awards red carpet. The couple is looking stunning, with ...

Like him or not, Vybz Kartel has presence. In 1998 I was in the employ of Buju Banton. He had just put on the finishing touches to his Gargamel Studio in Kingston 8 and embarked upon a journey into ...