Vybz Kartel appears to be keeping the “King of Dancehall” conversation alive, days after fans across the dancehall community began questioning whether the Jamaican superstar was throwing subtle shots at Shaggy as debate over the genre’s crown intensified.
The discussion has reached as far as Billboard following Shaggy’s Sept. 23 interview with Roadblock Radio, in which he highlighted his international streaming numbers and longevity while arguing that commercial reach should form part of the conversation. Shaggy also stressed that dancehall has had “multiple kings,” explicitly recognizing Kartel alongside Beenie Man, Shabba Ranks, Sean Paul and himself. Shaggy also a stated that some artist only have “three markers.”
Days later, Kartel posted a Reel carrying the pointed caption, “When you’re not a manufactured pop star with little talent and no influence on the culture.”
Kartel has not named or tagged Shaggy, and any connection between the post and Shaggy’s comments remains interpretation rather than confirmation.
However, Kartel has now added another provocative comparison. In a new post, the deejay declared: “POV: No marketing budget, no hits… for THEM 😌.” The video also previews music containing the lines, “Dem try fi hide me glory / Good ting a never dem a write me story,” while Kartel’s accompanying caption teases “#thesun coming soon.”
Kartel also appeared to invoke reggae icon Bob Marley in the caption, writing, “Good ting me a ghetto youth..like bob 😌.” The reference adds another layer to the post, particularly after Shaggy cited Marley alongside Sean Paul while discussing the streaming numbers of Jamaican artists.
