Dancehall megastar Vybz Kartel reaffirmed both his return to the musical throne and his performance fitness following a monumental performance at his packed New Year’s Eve “homecoming” Freedom Street Concert at the National Stadium in Kingston on Tuesday.
Kartel, who promised fans a three-hour-set in the lead-up to his first official performance following his release in 13 years, would have silenced several critics on his capacity to handle the rigour of the event scale with a compelling set that exceeded expected time.
The nearly four-hour hit-laced set, which was filled with cameos and special guest appearances from both the local and international spaces, as well as a wardrobe change, was a delightful entertainment package of musical artistry and stagecraft neatly packaged with world-class production as fans were immersed in seeing the “World boss” live.
The performance included appearances from rap star Busta Rhymes, Dancehall stars Spice, Chronic Law, Bounty Killer and Ghanaian music star Shatta Walle, in addition to the highly anticipated Portmore Empire reunion segment.
This included the Unruly Boss- Popcaan, Tommy Lee Sparta, Shawn Storm, Lisa Hylpe JahVinci, Sheba and Gaza Indu among others.
Kartel’s nearly four-hour set was cut at 2:45 am by extension, the show the perfect litmus test for his readiness to tackle the mounting major overseas interests in 2025 since his walk to freedom.
Among them are the Trinidad Carnival and the UK’s Wireless Festival.
