As the year draws to a close, Vybz Kartel’s Viking (Vybz Is King) 10th Anniversary Edition stands as the only dancehall album to debut on the weekly U.S. Billboard Reggae Albums chart in 2025.
The 11-track deluxe reissue peaked at No. 10 on the chart dated February 15, 2025, marking Kartel’s 11th career entryon Billboard’s Reggae Albums chart.
Released via Adidjahiem Records/TJ Records on January 31, 2025, the project earned just under 2,000 equivalent album units in its first week in the U.S. — more than any other dancehall album released this year, contrary to media reports elsewhere.
The set includes seven new tracks, among them God Is The Greatest and Porn Flick featuring Ishawna, both of which topped the U.S. Reggae iTunes chart upon release. The single Amout also reached No. 1 on the YouTube Jamaica Chart.
Originally released in March 2015 while Kartel was incarcerated, Viking peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart, powered by fan favorites like Unstoppable and Gon’ Get Better — the latter later sampled by Fifth Harmony. It remains his second highest-charting album to date.
Since its original release, Viking (Vybz Is King) has surpassed 40 million streams on Spotify, ranking among Kartel’s top 10 most-streamed titles on the platform.
The other dancehall albums released this year — including additional sets from Kartel himself — sold fewer than 500 units in their first week in the U.S. and did not make the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
World Music Views will give our annual full Caribbean Music Report in December.
