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Nadine talked with Vybz Kartel about Girls,
School and one incident last December.
Germaican Observer: The lyrics you
write, is it things that you see happen around you...?
Vybz Kartel: Yeh, it depends on the mood I'm in, for
example I'll be in the studio and I hear a riddim and I'll
catch a 'vibes' and the first thing that comes to mind is
the melody and then you start thinking about what kind of
words you gonna say in the melody... otherwise if I'm at home
writing then I can say anything, me and my friends just vibing
I just freestyle and say things that I see on the spot.
G.O.: You like to sing about the girls
and sometimes if you really listen to the lyrics you might
feel offended as a woman, how do you feel about it knowing
that you have a daughter or don't you think the women take
it seriously?
V.K.: Well, yuh see music is art and art is the expression
and an artiste has a right to express how he feels to let
the people worldwide see his experiences whether they be first
hand or second hand... so music is just art I just deejay
what I experience whether it be first hand or second hand...
and sex really plays a great role in everbodys life regardless
of their culture, skincolour, nation or language. I'm a person
who studies sex and studies circumstances and situations surrounding
sex and I build my songs according... most females I have
met love my songs incidentally, so I guess I ain't saying
nothing wrong.
G.O.: Do you actually practice what
you sing in your songs?
V.K.: Yes I do, and most people do so that's why the
songs are so popular because how people log on to music they
have to feel what you are saying, they have to already experience
that or they want to experience it, that's how people love
their music... if someone hears Vybz Kartel tune about
sex and they are doing what I'm singing about in the song
they are gonna love it and if they want to do what I'm singing
about they're gonna love it too.
G.O.: Were you a problem child?
V.K.: Where school was concerned it wasn't a problem
it was just otherwise like I was a child who always wanted
to be on the road and that was a cause of concern for my parents
and that's where we really had altercations, but otherwise
academically it was good until I got expelled in high school
but even though I got expelled my father knew my potential
so he just enrolled me in another school.
G.O.: So what was it that you wanted
to do when you left school, did you already decide that you
wanted to be a deejay?
V.K.: Well that was what eventually led to my expeltion
from Calabar High School when I found my career... in high
school I found that I wanted to be a deejay and I took it
semi-professionally and started leaving school to go to studios
and yuh know wha I mean so I knew that I wanted to be an artist
from in high school so I just set out to accomplish that.
G.O.: Going back to the situation
at Sting last year with Ninjaman what was going
through your head when all of that was happening, did he 'diss'
you?
V.K.: Well yuh know di good that men do live after
dem, but di evil that men do live after dem too so a dat...
but right now we wanna flip di script so we don't really dwell
on bad memories we were very much apologetic in the whole
incident surrounding it and the people saw the cause of it
and right now Vybz Kartel is the hottest thing around.
G.O.: You were arrested and they wanted
to charge you for murder, were you afraid that you would go
to prison?
V.K.: No I wasn't because we had faith in the system
and we have our lawyers and our lawyers are well accomplished
and internationally reknown lawyers.
G.O.: When you were released people
were outside cheering and saying "up to the time!",
how did that make you feel?
V.K.: Well it was just a normal procedure, anybody
who was released from any kind of captivity knows what I'm
talking about, so any release is good and I knew that I was
gonna be released as I said before because of the faith in
the system.
G.O.: Are you really afraid of flying?
V.K.: Well actually I was...
G.O.: So what happened?
V.K.: Yuh have to just change because yuh have kids
to feed and a career to establish and there is crazy money
out there to make so yuh can't swim across the ocean so I
guess I have to fly!
G.O.: Speaking about money, there
are promoters especially here in Europe who say that the fees
that the popular deejays charge are outrageous, do you think
that the fees that you charge are o.k?
V.K.: No it couldn't be outrageous beacuse Jamaica
is a third world country and the music so powerful and it
has gone beyond borders and gone beyond class and taking over
the world, so why not pay for the music that you love so much...
if I go into a store and I see a Nike and I want that Nike
I'm gonna pay whatever price beacuse I want that, nobody is
forcing anything on you if you don't wanna pay it don't pay
it.
G.O.: Do you think that they should
legalize the smoking of Ganja in Jamaica?
V.K.: It depends if you are an established cultivator
of the herb I don't think you would want that because it would
just be taken over by the commercial market like the Cigarette
Company and they are gonna set certain standards and certain
rules... for me personally I don't care this is Jamaica...
G.O.: You're gonna perform in Germany
for the first time do you plan to probably do a tour or other
shows too?
V.K.: Maybe I would because Europe is a great place,
it's very historical the architecture I love it, the vibe
of the people I love it, it's very diverse so what the hell
I would.
G.O.: How do you deal with the girls
coming on to you?
V.K.: I just drink a lot of strong drink, aphrodisiac
and I get my rest that is the best way to deal with girls.
G.O.: You voiced a song ("If
U Man Nah Sow No Seed") on a riddim called "Messer
Banzani", did you like the riddim?
V.K.: I did... it's different and difference is good,
variety is the spice of life and one has to stretch his nusic
beyond borders and... fusion is good!
Germaican Observer: Well thank you
very much, really enjoyed the interview and I hope to see
you when you come here.
Vybz Kartel: Same here, come is good so I'll see you
when I come.
Nadine Reid
G.O. Crew. Leipzig/Germaica
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