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Vybz Kartel, DJ Akademiks, Skillibeng
15/05/2023

Skillibeng Tells DJ Akademiks That Vybz Kartel Is The Most Relatable Artist From Jamaica

In an interview with DJ Akademiks, dancehall DJ Skillibeng revealed how his journey in music has been so far as a youth from St.Thomas Jamaica to the Billboard charts. He has performed at major concerts and signed a record deal with RCA records. The 29 year old Skillibeng who burst on the scenes with his Brick on Brick street anthem told Academiks that initially he just wanted to be a ghetto superstar.

“I wanted to be a Jamaican superstar until the realization of what I can really do came across, it was the relation of potential that I saw in putting out songs and stuff like that and that’s what I really use to sum up what I could become after passing that local goal,” he said.

“After becoming known all over Jamaica I think what’s the next step,” Skillibeng reflected.

Skillibeng

The self confessed country boy said, “St. Thomas is not really a city, a countrysides of Jamaica so the opportunities was kinda limited…a lot of times you have to go outside of St. Thomas to really accomplish what I wanted to do which is what I did. I started to seek what was the best place to make my music circulate the whole Jamaica faster.”

Spotify podcast host Akademiks otherwise known as “AK” has always commented on how much he admired the career of Vybz Kartel. In 2021 he said controversially that Kartel is more popular than Marley.

“My favorite artist of all time is a Jamaican artist, I think he is the best artist, there is no other artist on Earth that even comes within a centimeter of him and its Vybz Kartel,” the Spanish Town Jamaica native said.

He further explained to host Gillie and Wallo on the Million Dollars Worth Of Game podcast where he was being interviewed, “he is currently incarcerated for murder or whatever but when it comes to living your craft, also being the best at everything.”

He then shocked the hosts Gillie and Wallo when he said,

“The greatest artist, I have never seen any artist have more influence on a genre… I don’t care if you could say Bob Marley, Elvis, Beatles​.

It was at this point that Wallo responded “He is stronger than Bob?” then Gillie chimed in with “man get the f*ck outa here…get your lying ass outa here bwoy.”

The professional disruptor then clarified, “Bob Marley’s influence is worldwide but Bob Marley don’t talk to those youths in the garrison, Bob Marley don’t talk to the ghetto people.”

“Whatever influence y’all think Jay-Z had on hip hop he ain’t had what Kartel had on dancehall. It’s Tupacesque level”, he continued.

Skillibeng in his latest interview seems to agree with AK’s sentiments made in 2021 as he credits Vybz Kartel for inspiring him to get into music. He said, “Because of a person like Vybz Kartel weh inspire a lotta ghetto youths like me, a lotta country youths like me, a lotta youths weh a forward from nothing. Vybz Kartel put it in his music she him a coming from nothing and that gives you a lotta drive that you can also do this as a youth that listen to Vybz Kartel.”

The subject of Kartel came up several times in the interview as Skillibeng said “He (Vybz Kartel) is the most relatable artist” from Jamaica.

The Crocodile Teeth DJ said after getting a taste of the music industry success with Brick Pop Brick he just wanted to get a catalogue and release more music for his fans.

He says he is likable by American and European fans because of his simple lyrics. “I am relatable, I am Jamaican I speak in a whole different dialect but I am relatable so its easy to understand because I’m repeating and making you understand what I am saying,” he said.

After a successful tour schedule last year with stops at Afropunk and Wireless Fest Skillibeng had two tour cancellations in the last 5 months;

 

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