Dancehall artist Vybz Kartel has confirmed in a since-deleted tweet that his first tour in 14 years will be in Africa. The deejay took to Twitter on Sunday to announce that his first stop will be Kenya, making this his first Africa tour.
Fans in the motherland immediately responded to the news.
One news source stated that yesterday August 3 that, “Vybz Kartel is very famous in Kenya. Gangs were named after his crew, Gaza in Kenya. Several places in the ghetto in Mombasa, Kayole, Mathare, Kibera, Kangemi, Githurai and Kawangware in Kenya are nicknamed “Gaza” because of him.”
Other created meme and humor videos on why Kartel would be going to Kenya first.
Another person tweeted, “Vybz Kartel, Konshens and Popcaan are LEGENDS in Kenya because of many reasons, their music made majority of Kenyans make it through high school. Their music is top tier no cap.”
The last time Vybz Kartel went on an international tour was in 2010 when he toured Europe along with a young Popcaan and other members of the Portmore Empire. In April 2011, events in Holland, France, and Germany were canceled by promoters because Kartel, real name Adidja Palmer, was unable to secure a UK visa. Five months later, he was arrested on charges of ganja and had been locked up since then, until his release on July 31.
Vybz Kartel’s biggest music listening fan base in Kingston, Jamaica then Nairobi Kenya according to YouTube with 37 million and 25 million views respectively. New York, London, San Jose, and George Tow Guyana round out his top six highest streaming locations in the last year.
From August 2, 2023, to August 2, 2024, Vybz Kartel’s top songs on YouTube are “Fever” with 11.5 million views, followed by “Summer Time” (9.90M) and “Colouring This Life” (9.80M). Other notable tracks include “Wine To The Top” featuring Wizkid (7.68M), “Any Weather” (7.28M), “Enchanting” and “Unstoppable” (6.18M each), “Thank Yuh Jah” (5.15M), and “Happy Pum Pum” (4.95M). These figures underscore Kartel’s significant impact on the platform.
