Ever since this whole Gaza/Empire infighting has started, two songs have been playing in my head -Michael Jackson’s Man In The Mirror and Bounty Killer’s Seek the Devil (That’s why them life so miserable.)

It’s so instructive that no sooner than the Gully/Gaza ceasefire was announced, the Gaza adherents started getting at each other’s throats and reports of beatings and money issues started to surface. And then the exodus from the camp began — Lisa Hype, Gaza Kim and now Blak Ryno. Interestingly, in all scenarios, Kartel’s PR machinery has done its best to make the Teacha look — not lily white — but bleached-out white. Kartel, they shout, knows absolutely nothing about any of the questionable practices that allegedly take place on the Gaza. Kartel knew nothing of the picture with Lisa Hype that was posted on the Internet and felt sorry for what she was going through; Kartel has never ordered the beating of any member of the Portmore Empire, including Gaza Kim and Kartel, naturally, knows nothing about Blak Ryno’s house being shot up. And in fact, that particular release went further to state that anybody who does Ryno anything would be answerable to Kartel himself.

And, who are we to even suggest that this is not so?

However, the truth is that there are many persons who are just not buying the reports. A casual glance at the comments section on dancehall-inspired websites tell at sorry tale about Kartel, the Gaza and the Portmore Empire. There is some sympathy for Blak Ryno, although his recent stint in the courts where his landlord dropped a case against him, allegedly out of fear, has provided quite a lot of fodder for Internet junkies. They question Ryno’s talent and his ability to further his career outside of the Empire. Jahvinci, some argue, would have a much better chance of making it solo and right now the question isn’t if Jahvinci is going to ditch the Portmore Empire, but when. And the odds, they say, are that such a release distancing Kartel from anything negative in that scenario is already written and waiting to be tweaked and sent out.

Web readers clearly don’t like to think that they are being taken for fools and have been calling out the writers of the releases and also Kartel himself. They have some really cute things to say about one web site owner, whose name rhymes with ‘fraud’.

What is evident in all of this is that there is a credibility issue at stake and secondly, the Empire seems to be crumbling. Kartel’s talent as an artiste, however, has never been questioned and perhaps it would be better if he focuses on that and leave all political aspiration alone.