By Howard Campbell—
As his hardcore fans anticipated the June 26 release of Vybz Kartel’s album, Of Dons And Divas, producer JonFX had little doubt the 18-song set would do well. Known for his work with the late rapper XXXtentacion, he rates the incarcerated deejay as “the greatest pen in this era.”
Of Dons And Divas is expected to make a strong debut next week on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart. The song, Cute Rider (Reggaeton Mix), which JonFX produced, is number one on the Reggae iTunes Chart.
This is the latest success for JonFX and Kartel. In 2005, they had a strong seller with Gun Session which also featured Akon, Shabba Ranks and Sizzla.
According to JonFX, adapting to different sounds is what sets Vybz Kartel apart from his contemporaries.
“Any genre you give him he writes to it, intelligently. He is comfortable working in any format,” he said.
Kartel, whose real name is Adidja Palmer, and three co-accused are serving life sentences for the 2011 murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. He will be eligible for parole in 32 years.
JonFX says he met him over 10 years ago while living in New York City. They eventually worked on the Gun Session remix; the song is a take on Soul Survivor, a 2005 hit single for rapper Young Jeezy and singer Akon.
Born John Crawford, JonFX grew up in Portmore, a sprawling community on the outskirts of Kingston, Jamaica’s capital. That is also where Kartel spent most of his youth and later established his vaunted Gaza Empire.
In recent years, JonFX has established himself in hip hop circles through his work with XXXtentacion who was killed in June, 2017 at age 20 in Deerfield Beach.
Crawford worked with him on the big-selling album ?; as well as co-producing and co-writing the song, I Don’t Even Speak Spanish LOL, one of the rapper’s biggest hits.
Later this year, JonFX plans to release a reggae compilation album showcasing Vybz Kartel, Sizzla and Michael Rose.
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