Top streaming artist Drake calls Vybz Kartel one of his biggest inspirations and Kartel stands as the most influential independent artist in the history of dancehall music. Since Bounty Killer gave him the cosign, the Dancehall King has stood on his own reinventing himself over 20 years. With 16 studio albums since 2003 and 12 EPs, The Caribbean Music Awards’ Artist Of The Decade is also featured on over 900 Riddim albums with some of the wittiest, heinous and influential lyrics in the genre. His journey into the Billboard Reggae Albums chart began with Kingston Story, which first charted at No. 7 on July 9, 2011, just two months before his arrest.
Before his incarceration he was drawing the attention of Jay-Z, Drake, Eminem and Busta Rhymes all of whom he has collaborations.
Still, he remained independent among his impressive discography, King Of The Dancehall stands out as his highest-streaming and highest-charting album. It debuted at No. 2 on July 2, 2016, and remained on the chart for 7 weeks. It has surpassed 126 million streams on Spotify. Closely following is Viking (Vybz Is King), which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums Chart on March 28, 2015, where it stayed for 6 weeks.
Other notable albums include Of Dons & Divas, which debuted at No. 6 on July 11, 2020, and Vybz Kartel Roots & Culture: The Voice Of The Jamaican Ghetto…, which peaked at No. 6 on July 27, 2013. Both albums showcased Kartel’s distinctive style and contributed to his success.
Born Fi Dis (Prelude) reached No. 9 on August 21, 2021, while Kartel Forever: Trilogy hit No. 11 on October 12, 2013. Both albums charted for only one week. Similarly, Reggae Love Songs & Other Things debuted at No. 7 on June 21, 2014, and also stayed on the chart for just one week.
On the Billboard Top Current Album Sales Chart, Vybz Kartel’s emotional album “To Tanesha” peaked at No. 87 and “Of Dons & Divas,” peaked at No. 80 both remaining on the chart for one week.
In addition to his official releases, several producers and labels have compiled the best of Vybz Kartel, contributing to a total of over 53 career projects. Despite never being nominated for a Grammy Award, Kartel’s influence is deeply woven into the fabric of both emerging and established artists in the genre.
While he was incarcerated for 13 years, Vybz Kartel amassed over 1 billion streams on Spotify—the first independent dancehall artist to achieve this milestone. With his release, fans eagerly await his return to the stage, both at home and abroad.
As for singles, Romping Shop featuring Spice peaked at No. 76 on the Billboard R&B/ Hip Hop Songs Chart on August 22, 2009- hist first time making a Billboard chart. He rose even higher up the R&B/ Hip Hop Airplay chart while serving a sentence for murder with Fever, peaking at No. 36 July 29, 2017. Fever has since been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) and Silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) For sales surpassing 500,000 and 200,000 respectively.
The Real Badman deejay also made his way onto the Billboard Dance/Electronic Digital Song Sales chart via Major Lazer collaborations: Pon De Floor, at No. 41 on September 18, 2010, and You’re No Good, a also with Santigold, Danielle Haim, and Yasmin peaked at No. 37.
