Vybz Kartel’s latest album, “Of Dons & Divas” has made its return to the No.1 spot on the iTunes Reggae Chart.
The incarcerated Dancehall superstar is back at the top spot following his recent Appeal Court ruling.
“Of Dons & Divas” charted ahead of Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers (Remastered), and Higher Place by Skip Marley, which holds the number 3 spot. Legend (Deluxe Edition) by Bob Marley & The Wailers occupies the number 4 spot and World on Fire by Stick Figure round out the top 5, on Saturday, October 3, 2020.
Last month, Vybz Kartel and his co-accused were granted leave to appeal their case in the United Kingdom Privy Council. The judgement was handed down in a virtual sitting of the downtown Kingston-based Court of Appeal by Justice Nicole Simmons on Friday (September 25).
Vybz Kartel’s “Of Dons and Divas” album was released on all platforms on June 26.
The 18 tracks masterpiece, produced by Short Boss Muzik/ Vybz Kartel Muzik, was already highly anticipated and gained traction with the release of the single, “Cute Rider.” The Reggaeton track, produced by JonFX and mixed by Grammy award winning engineer Jimmy Douglass, currently holds the number one spot on the iTunes Reggae chart.
With a world-class production team behind the project, including Jay-Crazie and Ricardo “Red Boom” Reid, it comes as no surprise that the album was released to massive fanfare and is already collecting achievements. Touted as the Grammy album for Vybz Kartel, “Of Dons and Divas” now stands in the number one spot on the iTunes Reggae chart.
“The title of the album “Of Dons and Divas” is representative of the all-star cast that the album has, including myself; this album has more features than an iPhone 20,” Kartel outlined. Featured artistes include Sikka Rymes, Lisa Hyper, Teejay, Skillibeng, Daddy1, Slimatic, as well as the artiste’s sons Likke Vybz and Likkle Addi.
A nod to the music of the 80s which the artiste grew up on, the album also celebrates the Dons and the hot girls (now called Divas); each of the album’s 18 tracks is classified under its respective category. The album brings the focus back to Dancehall music, straying from the sound of the January released “To Tanesha” album, which was more centered around Hip Hop and R&B.
“There’s me in my usual element but what I did on this album is a lot more deejaying than singing, compared to my last project,” the artiste explained, “lyrics galore as usual delivered on some uptempo tracks as well as a few ‘cool and deadlys.”
Undeniably one of the most influential Dancehall artistes of all time, Vybz Kartel has been paving the way since 2002, steadily gaining notoriety since the release of his 2003 album “Up 2 Di Time.” Known for hits such as “Fever”, “Colouring This Life”, “Nah Let Go” and “Life We Living”, “Of Dons and Divas” can now be listed among the artiste’s many successful works.
“The fact that I keep evolving, that’s what makes this album better. I keep growing because I never forget that I am a student of the music; not the music industry but the music. So with my humility towards and my respect for this genre, this is the best Kartel ever because I keep getting better,” he expressed.
Distributed by Zojak World Wide, “Of Dons and Divas” is currently available for purchase and streaming on platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play Music and Tidal.
