It’s no surprise that Vybz Kartel has managed to remain one of the most prolific dancehall artists of all time since the turn of the century — despite having been confined to a jail cell since 2014. Two weeks ago, he solidified his hold over that crown by releasing five songs in the same day, most notably the hard-hitting “Dark Ages” with longtime collaborator Tommy Lee Sparta.
Produced by Naviigator Entertainment, “Dark Ages” sees the two incarcerated artists rapping about violent retribution against their enemies:
“Answer my prayer oh Lord, gimi di strength fi slew some bwoy, dem a Judas, dem nuffi live, shot blow dem away like shaft in di wind, don’t play/
Joshua destroy everything, slew dem Abraham, ah pagan we kill, mi mek di moon and di star stand still, don’t dig one, better dig two grave/”
In addition to “Dark Ages,” fans of the Worl’ Boss can also check out “NO CAP” with Kartel’s sons Likkle Vybz and Likkle Addi, “Irreplaceable” with Lisa Hyper, “Rich Forever” with Jesse Royal, and “Every Hustler,” a Hemton Music and Shab Don Records-assisted ode to those who have no limits on what it takes to achieve success — even if it’s by criminal means:
“Some ah use chalk pan ‘e blackboard, some ah sell front round ah backroad, every hustler di wul’ ah wi ah G, from anuh prison you ah pree, ah di key/”
“Every Hustler” also comes with an accompanying clip courtesy of BlingBlang, which tells the story of a troubled youth who becomes more of a menace as he gets older, thieving and robbing from his fellow peers. At some point, he steals from the wrong individual, leading to deathly consequences as the video’s closing.
Press play on “Dark Ages,” “Every Hustler,” and the rest of Vybz Kartel’s recent drops below. Also included is last month’s X-Rated project, a visual for “Stress Out, Stress Out,” and — most recently — the inspirational “I Know And Believe.”