‘It’s back-to-school so Teacha haffi deh a road’

World Boss, Teacha, Kartel, Vybz Kartel – Adidja Palmer goes by many names. However, it was his ‘Teacha’ moniker that entertainer Harry Toddler addressed him by when asked to comment on the news of Kartel’s freedom that spread like wildfire on Wednesday afternoon, causing jubilation on King Street in downtown Kingston and at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre.

“It’s back-to-school so Teacha haffi deh a road,” a jubilant Toddler said emphatically. “Right deh so it deh.”

Toddler, like many others, had already started the celebration of the return of Kartel to the dancehall space. Kartel walked out of the prison at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Marketer and music producer Sean ‘Contractor’ Edwards was elated.

“Kartel has spent 13 years behind bars for this case, so I feel he has paid a heavy price with a loss of freedom and income. I feel it’s a just decision to let him free,” Edwards said.

Commenting on what this means for dancehall, Edwards stated: “Well it’s really good for dancehall show promoters worldwide who want to fill up their concerts at a premium price. Also, Kartel is very competitive, and this will mean that other dancehall artistes have to step up their game, and this is good for the genre.”

Chairman of the Jamaica Reggae Industry Association (JaRIA) Ewan Simpson told The Gleaner that Kartel’s presence would definitely have an effect on the dancehall and hoped for an injection of “quality content” in the dancehall.

“The acquittal of Adidja Palmer will certainly cause a more interesting dancehall space for live events and recordings now that Vybz Kartel is reintroduced. We are curious to see whether his physical and mental condition will allow for his previous work ethic and the resulting prolific production output to be restored,” said Simpson, who is an attorney-at-law and a musician.

“One can only hope, though, that his proven intellectual capacity will compel him to inject quality content into the space now that he has been given the proverbial ‘new lease’,” Simpson added.

Record producer and music chart compiler Boswell ‘Stampede’ Lammie, who has visited Kartel in prison, told The Gleaner that he was “happy to know that Kartel is free”.

“This is a great day for the dancehall family across the world ... the world is happy to know Kartel is free. I [have] been getting lots of calls from persons across the world ... they are very happy to know he is free. All Africans are happy. These people love Kartel so much,” Lammie said.

Singer Anthony Cruz spoke at length about the merits of freedom versus imprisonment and urged the youth to “stay outside”.

“As far as freedom is concerned, freedom is a good thing. Everybody wants to be free. Mi never go jail before, still, and me no intend to go there, and mi nah do nutten fi go there, but having yuh freedom is always a good thing. And whether a man guilty or not, him haffi live with that ... yuh understand? But freedom is always a good thing,” Cruz said.

Noting that “the dancehall has always been big still”, Cruz stated that Kartel was doing what he is supposed to be doing.

“[The dancehall has] always been huge, from back inna di ‘80s. Charlie Chaplin, Josey Wales, Tenor Saw, Nitty Gritty ... yuh have so much a di singer dem same way. Inna this time Kartel just contribute fi him contribution and yuh still a guh have great yutes come after him. Yuh have Shabba dem who dweet, yuh have Buju dem, yuh have so many other people who a win Grammy and all kinds of different tings, suh Kartel just a put in fi him work and fi him contribution. As mi seh, yuh have great yutes a come after him same way a carry same banner, same way a wave it high ... so to all di yutes dem ... stay outside man. Keep away from trouble.”

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com