How Does Vybz Kartel Record Music From Prison?

By:Noah Okello

He is called the World Boss, while some call him 'Teacha'. He now calls himself the exiled pharaoh while he continues to run Dancehall from prison.

Adidja Azim Palmer aka Vybz Kartel has been in Prison since 2011 for a murder charge but even that seem not to have slowed him down one bit. His work ethic remains unmatched and the numbers are out there to prove that.

This year alone, Vybz has gifted us two great albums. They are, 'To Tanesha' which dropped on January 10 and 'Of Dons & Divas' which dropped on June 26.

GET TO TANESHA BELOW:

To Tanesha

After being imprisoned, many people thought that Kartel was over and done with but to their surprise, the man continues to have a say in anything Dancehall all over the world. Kartel has influenced many through his music and personality.

How has he managed to stay relevant all this time?

What appeared almost certain to be a career-ending setback only helped to reaffirm Kartel’s hold on dancehall. He is as popular and influential as ever, and even more prolific. New music from Kartel drops almost on a weekly basis. He has more than 40 tracks already dropped this year alone. Well, even our Kenyan rap queen Petra teased us to her upcoming collabo with Kartel.

How Kartel has managed to record many chart topping hits while locked up remains something of a mystery. Many dancehall fans presume he must be covertly cutting vocals through a cellphone app. Others have even suggested certain songs were voiced by an impersonator.

In an interview conducted through his lawyer, Tom Tavares-Finson back in 2016, Kartel denied that he is recording in jail. The new releases, he insisted, are the fruits of a massive deposit of unreleased vocal material left behind before his arrest, updated for the moment by a cadre of trusted producers.

“I’ve always been a prolific songwriter, and I record at breakneck speed as well, so I have a lot of surplus material to choose from,” Kartel told Rolling Stone.

“There is a recording studio at another correctional facility [in Jamaica] but none here..cellphones, laptops, or any Internet-capable instrument are prohibited items” he added back then.

In a recent interview with Billboard Magazine, Kartel opened up again on just how he makes his music.

While he did not reveal exactly how he was able to record 18 tracks for his latest album Of Dons & Divas, he had something to say about the speculation.

“Many people say YES! VYBZ IS RECORDING IN PRISON!! But where’s the proof? But this is Jamaica where you don’t need proof to imprison someone. For the record, I’m not authorized to answer such ‘above pay grade’ questions so I’ll say, ‘a tree fell in the forest and no one was there to hear it,” Kartel said.

Kartel, however, did reveal the secret to his continued dominance of Dancehall. It’s “like the Colonel’s recipe,” he said.

“The true secret to success is commitment, hard work, smart work, self-analysis and most important, humility,” he added.

“Once I face a riddim (rhythm track), I’m not worldboss, just a man with a pen, paper, and a track. Other artists are working hard, so I think it’s just the formula.”

“A winning formula never really changes, it just gets wider, more ‘depthy’ so it’s Kartel in his usual vybz.

According to Kartel his new album has more features than the new S Class Benz and an Iphone 20.

Jamaican prison authorities have always denied giving Vybz Kartel special privileges to make music from prison. While there might be some truth to that, it doesn’t explain the use of present-day lyrics in some of his songs.

So just how is Vybz Kartel recording his music? Whatever the case, Dancehall fans want more of the Teacha. Many consider him the Bob Marley of Dancehall and despite being controversial at times, he remains one of the most loved and admired acts all over the world.

STREAM VYBZ KARTEL MUSIC ON BOOMPLAY

Vybz Kartel

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