Jamaica is currently experiencing Vybz Kartel mania. Fans and media can’t seem to get enough of the controversial dancehall artist who was released from prison last July.
Fernando Edwards, a Jamaican based in Los Angeles, is looking to capitalize on that frenzy with Gaza Collection, a line of T-shirts produced by Jamroc Dept., a company he launched in December 2023.
Representatives of that organization attended Kartel’s December 31st Freedom Street concert at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica’s capital. It attracted over 20,000 diehard fans who saw their hero perform for the first time in 13 years.
Edwards is pleased with the response to the pieces which bear titles such as World Boss, Freedom Street, Empire and Champion Bubbler.
“At least 20 people purchased something at the event. We went there to create a conversation, it’s all about promotion at this time,” he said.
There has also been enthusiastic reaction to the 20-strong catalog online. Fans can purchase T-shirts, caps and Hi Top sneakers at www.jamrocdept.com.
Freedom Street, which featured Kartel proteges like Popcaan and Spice, celebrated Kartel’s release from the General Penitentiary in Kingston where he served a 13-year sentence for murder. In July, Jamaica’s Court of Appeal ruled against retrying the entertainer and his three co-accused for the 2011 death of Clive “Lizard” Williams.
In February, the British Privy Council surmised that juror misconduct had compromised their 2014 murder conviction and quashed that sentence. The British court, Jamaica’s last forum for legal appeals, ordered the Court of Appeal to decide whether Kartel and his colleagues should be retried.
Since his release, the flamboyant artist has been a media magnet, with journalists from Jamaica and overseas tracking his every move. Critics who still see him as a murderer, are appalled by the fanatic attention.
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