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Music

Kartel, Revisited

With Vybz Kartel being passed a life sentence, we look at the devotion Jamaica has for their finest dancehall star.

Gaza City Crew, sans Vybz Kartel

Half of Portmore, Kingston, Jamaica must be in mourning today, such was the devotion showed towards their favorite son, Adidja Palmer, aka Vybz Kartel.

The World Boss has not passed away but he is now looking at 35-to-life after a guilty verdict was passed on charges relating to the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams.

Kartel’s lawyer Christian Tavares-Finson is said to be preparing an appeal against the conviction which was made after police found cell phone evidence that the murder of Williams took place at one of Kartel’s properties in Jamaica.

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Yesterday there was no real repeat of the downtown Kingston Courthouse protests made by Kartel’s faithful Gaza crew when the guilty verdict was passed, but back in Gaza City, a Kartel-owned and financed garrison within Portmore, the fervor and devotion towards their leader is something that is not unlike a cult-like Beatlemania.

We shot there two years ago not long after Kartel was locked up for our series Noisey Jamaica, and then for an impromptu music video for the “My Crew” track from his Kingston Story album of 2011 (Mixpak / Vice).

Andy Capper is VICE's Global Editor. He's on Twitter - @ANDYCAPPER