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 entrepreneurship.

One day a teenager entered Buju’s establishment. He went by the name Addi Banton and Buju was his idol. That visit never materialized into a recording deal but Addi Banton was just getting warmed up. I was a young journalist and Adidjah ‘Vybz Kartel’ Palmer, formerly Addi Banton, was a young deejay.

Time flew by and, in a couple of years, Vybz Kartel took dancehall by the scruff of the neck and shook it into a new dispensation. The tremors are still being felt. I had also grown in my field. Back then I was a freelance writer prostituting my skill to any reasonable buyer.

By 2014 I had matriculated to Crime/court editor of the Jamaica Observer and could, to some degree, choose what I wanted to cover. I chose to personally cover the Vybz Kartel murder trial. There were two trials taking place simultaneously, both of which had to be reported on from my desk. I selfishly chose the one I thought would be less boring.

At the end of the trial, things took a southern turn. On April 12, 2014 an article appeared in the Jamaica Observer entitled ‘17 Guns for freedom’. The piece quoted a highly-placed police source who claimed that the controversial deejay had coughed up information about the location of a cache of firearms in exchange for them halting their probe into the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams.

According to the article, the cops grabbed the guns before deciding to skip Kartel’s tackle. The piece did not sit well with the Gaza fans and my life was upended. Death threats started to rain in. Fellow journalist Abka Fitz-Henley and myself were targets. A carload of armed men visited my family home and told my Rastafari friend that my sister in New York had given them something for me. I am the youngest of three brothers. There is no sister in the mix. Was that something from my sister, some bullets? How did they get my number?

The following morning I sat in a bar along Mannings Hill Road in St Andrew with my lifelong friend Nigel ‘Little Lenny’ Grandison discussing the issue.

“The man dem look like dem want blood Nigel. It serious,” I said.

“Easy nuh Dread. A chat dem a chat man,” he said reassuringly.

But central to my mindset was the fact that, days ago, Vybz Kartel made an unsworn statement from the dock, officially known as the witness stand. Legal records of Jamaica’s justice system states that the landmark case relative to an unsworn statement is the Crown vs Leary Walker. My father again.

Prosecutor, Jeremy Taylor, went on a rant in the Supreme Court explaining the historical and legal nuances of an unsworn statement. Here I was, attempting to move on with my life for the umpteenth time, when I get another reminder of my past.

“The landmark case relating to an unworn statement from the dock is the Crown versus Leary Walker,” said Taylor.

The Vybz Kartel murder trial is the longest-running in Jamaica’s legal history. And I was glad when it was done. At no time was I deathly afraid of the threats on my life. However I was aware of the danger and never dropped my guard.

I left the island for a short spell after the threats became an annoyance and my bosses at the Jamaica Observer ordered me to stay low. The threats petered out after Vybz Kartel issued a statement condemning the threats against journalists.

A lot of time has passed and experience allows us to gain perspective and context. Kartel has certainly matured, as have I. He has plastered himself across social media platforms. You can’t delete him from your psyche. Vybz Kartel won’t allow it. Some criticise it while he pats himself on the back, proud of his street acquired Phd in marketing.

His answers in two recent interviews are worthy of mention. Firstly, he paid homage to Bounty Killer, who he said gave him the opportunity to take care of his family. There were times both men were at loggerheads. Even more instructive in relation to Palmer’s growth is his take on the recent beating of a social media personality which was allegedly ordered by a budding entrepreneur.

“Them days deh done. Beat up people fi dem opinion?” Kartel said.

Thirteen years is a long time and the artiste is certainly walking his Freedom Street. One hopes he will grab the second chance life has offered him and remain trouble free.

In days the Freedom Street concert will sound off in Jamaica’s National Stadium.

One hopes that Vybz Kartel will display to his fans that he learnt stage craft. It is left to be seen if he has improved in 14 years as he is woefully lacking when compared to the greats. His idol, Buju Banton, gave a remarkable performance at his concert after a decade in prison. That concert was sold out. Will the same scenario play out for Vybz Kartel?

Let’s give him his due. Vybz Kartel has carved out his niche, he understands the science of money and has so far grabbed his second chance.

Karyl Walker

Karyl Walker is a veteran journalist who served as the Crime/court editor for the Jamaica Observer. He now resides in Florida, USA.