In his first full stage performance post-incarceration, dancehall sensation Vybz Kartel engaged with fans for roughly four hours inside a jam-packed National Stadium on New Year’s Eve.

It may not have been the energy-filled show many grew accustomed to seeing the Worl’ Boss deliver, but for Gaza fans who just wanted to see the iconic musical figure in action for the first time in over a decade, the historic moment exceeded expectations.

Freedom Street got off to a late start as Kartel did not make his scheduled 10:00 pm stage appearance. Instead, the deejay made his grand entrance at minutes after 11:00 pm to loud screams and cheers from his global fan base gathered inside the venue.

After months of speculation, fans were seemingly satisfied at the entertainer’s opening number as he entered the stage to his hit single, Hustle The Money.

“Mi nuh have time fi nuh jail time, dat a waste time. Mind pan mi money and mi money pan mi mind,” he sang, transforming the crowd into his choir. He then seamlessly segued into a rendition of his Locked Up remix.

The deejay, who was visibly in a celebratory mood, said he was thankful that, after 13 years, he was able to return to the stage.

“After 13 years, we deh yah and we give God thanks,” he said before bringing on a number of his ‘students’ for a much-anticipated Gaza reunion. Among the opening acts were Gaza Indu, Lisa Hyper, Jahvinci, and Shawn Storm — all entertainers who emerged from Kartel’s iconic Gaza camp.

But it was not until Spice took to the stage that things really got heated. Describing her as one of the few musical colleagues who did not abandon him during his incarceration, Vybz Kartel rang in 2025 as a king with the reputed queen of dancehall by his side.

The pair had already performed their hit single Conjugal Visit and Spice had begun to spew a few of her solo songs when the clock struck 12. In a show of true nationalism, the duo led the crowd in an a capella rendition of the Jamaican National Anthem before screams of “Happy New year” rang out across the stadium.

A fanciful fireworks display quickly followed as Kartel performed his hit single, Thank Yuh Jah, much to the delight of the Freedom Street crowd.

Spice had earlier set off her own fireworks onstage when she began to spit lyrics to a saucy remix of Kartel’s single, Comet.

“Mi never tell unnu the comet was coming,” she sang before dropping rhymes that had the crowd responding in banging fashion.

“Kartel come outta prison and a make more money dan artistes weh deh a road longer. How yuh fi compare Alkaline to the Worl’ Boss? Him a di student, Kartel a di teacher,” she said eliciting ear-shattering screams from the thousands inside the venue.

In a display fans have never experienced before, Kartel showcased Adidja Palmer, the father, when he invited his two sons to the stage. Declaring that music is in their DNA, Likkle Vybz and Likkle Addi rocked the Freedom Street crowd. The crowd erupted when Likkle Addi performed his hit single M.O.T.M ( Man of the Match), proving he has what it takes to becoming a big act.

By this time, Kartel had completed a successful wardrobe change from his three-piece suit copped in Trinidad to now being clad in his basketball jersey and jeans.

Kartel then took patrons on a nostalgic journey of his career, performing hits such as
Deh Yuh Bad From, Nah Shot A Soul, Throw Word, License to Kill, So Me A Say, and a lot more.

It was up from there, as acts such as Skillibeng, Popcaan, Chronic Law, Bounty Killer, Skeng, Tommy Lee Sparta, Ishawna and Stylysh took turns onstage. The energy was so high at that time that not even a verbal onslaught on the show’s promoters could dampen the vibe.

It wasn’t immediately clear what had transpired backstage between Downsound Entertainment’s Cordel “Skatta” Burrell, but it undoubtedly tugged at the wrong string of Chronic Law and Popcorn. Highlighting that the pair were made to wait outside the venue for some three hours, Popcaan and Chronic Law spewed a mouthful of expletives aimed at Skatta and show producer, Josef Bogdanovich. The latter later caused an apparent physical altercation which prompted Vybz Kartel’s intervention.

“Look how unusual ago mash up the show,” he said. Still, the event went on for another approximately 30 minutes before the Worl’ Boss took to the mic to tell patrons that police officers had called time on the event.

“The show was excellent. My friends and I were just vibing and having fun. We sang along to the songs like a we help Kartel write them. We enjoyed every bit of it,” said 19-year-old Senique, who was accompanied by her two friends, and who said there was nowhere else she would have wanted to be but at Freedom Street, as the event will go down as one of the greatest shows in history. “Mi glad mi come out come see this. A history this wi just watch. Thirteen years behind bars and to come back and be able to draw this much people into one place, people from all over the world, only a legend could do that and he is king of the dancehall.”

Admitting that the show got off to a slow start, Dr Janell Wright told the Jamaica Observer that by night’s end, the sluggish first half was a distant memory as Kartel churned out some his most notable hits, proving by curtain’s close why he is considered one of the biggest Jamaican artistes of all time.

“I’m not gonna lie, because the show did get off to a slow start. The first half lacked the energy we needed, but by the second half, with all the artistes who came out onstage, it picked up nicely,” she said. “It was nostalgic of Sting; it had that kind of vibe from all the artistes that came out and, for me, as a Vybz Kartel fan, it was just great to see him in person. It was great that he was able to carry on for an hour and a half without any break, water, changes. That kind of showed the crowd that, even though he has health issues, he was able to still deliver.”

Wright, who travelled from Miami to be at Freedom Street, expressed that, while some believe Kartel’s set lacked his usual energy, it was important to remember that the entertainer is battling a chronic illness and that he had been locked away for more than 10 years. She said all those elements would impact the performance of even the greatest entertainer.

“I hear people saying the show lacked the usual ‘Vybz’, but one should remember this is someone who has not performed in 13 years and who is sick,” she said. “We love Vybz Kartel and we love dancehall and, honestly, the show was everything I could have asked for from him given the circumstances.”