Music

Managing a Brand He Made Himself

Ports Bishop

The dancehall reggae artist Vybz Kartel. His new album, Kingston Story, will be released on Tuesday.

By ROB KENNER

Published: June 16, 2011

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In addition to his music Vybz Kartel said he is developing beverage and clothing brands.

And now for your feature presentation, the biggest thing in Jamaica, DJ Nuffy roared, adding him look like Michael Jackson. The sly remark referring both to the artists enormous celebrity in the Caribbean diaspora and to his controversial practice of lightening his skin drew laughter and mischievous cheers from the crowd of some 10,000 who stared intently at a screen on the stage where artists including DJ Khaled, Busta Rhymes and I-Octane had performed just moments before. Lets welcome via satellite, live to you, Vybz. Vybz. Vybz.

The crowd shouted Kartel in unison as his image filled the screen. He wore a purple suit with a loosely knotted silk tie and button-down shirt, his pale brown tattooed face framed by aviator glasses and a mane of black hair extensions. Yo, Miami, you know what time now? he asked, checking his wristwatch as the stuttering digital beat for Touch a Button, his chest-thumping challenge to rivals, started to play. Before long Vybz Kartels rapid-fire flow had the audience spellbound.

Over the last few years Vybz Kartel (pronounced Vibes Cartel) has become the most talked about figure in dancehall, a genre that is to the roots reggae of Bob Marley as hip-hop is to R&B. More than any of his predecessors or his peers, Vybz Kartel understands that he is not just entertaining an audience but managing a global brand. At a time when major-label interest in the genre is at a low ebb, and most dancehall artists release a smattering of singles, he will drop a full album, Kingston Story, on Tuesday on the Brooklyn digital label Mixpak Records. Although there will be no P.R. blitz to push the work, Kartel, 35, is highly skilled at creating controversy and leveraging the media exposure into new opportunities. The secret of his success may be that Vybz Kartel doesnt worry about conforming to expectations; hed rather break the rules.

Kartel has remixed the notion of what it means to be a dancehall star, said the Jamaican novelist and essayist Colin Channer. Hes a pop artist in the sense of somebody like Madonna or Lady Gaga, who are aware of how transforming their image makes them attractive to different segments of the public.

When asked how he maintains his international notoriety while rarely leaving Jamaica, Vybz Kartel laughed and said, with his usual braggadocio, We work with what we have, and we make miracles like Jesus.

The satellite-feed performance is only the latest example of this artists innovative approach to advancing his career. I feel very special, Vybz Kartel said by phone two weeks after the performance. A lot of artists dont have any visa now, but I am the one they approached. The job was pulled off, and I was the first to do it. (He said he had his United States visa taken away six years ago over what he calls allegations; United States officials are not required to explain the grounds for denial of a visa.)

But the show almost didnt happen. A week before the concert Vybz Kartels longtime business partner, Corey Todd an American businessman who formerly worked with the Pimp Juice drink brand owned by the rapper Nelly gave a series of interviews on Jamaican television accusing Vybz Kartel of threatening his life. He publicly severed ties with Vybz Kartel, dissolving the ventures that the two had built together, including Street Vybz Rum and the popular Kingston night club the Building, where the satellite performance was supposed to have been staged. Two of Vybz Kartels top collaborators the singer Jah Vinci and the producer Not Nice also jumped ship with Mr. Todd.

I didnt threaten anybody, Vybz Kartel responded. That is definitely a lie, and we are going to pursue that matter in court. No legal action had yet been taken.

Vybz Kartel (born Adidja Palmer) made his name through a prodigious output of music, flooding iTunes with two or three new releases each week, with songs like Ramping Shop and Jeans & Fitted becoming international hits on radio. Im the Jay-Z for Jamaica, dont call me a faker, he rhymed a few years ago.

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