‘He set the tone for dancehall,’ Vybz Kartel is taking over Toronto in October. Here’s why the city’s buzzing over the ‘World Boss’

Vybz Kartel’s long-awaited debut in Toronto feels like a homecoming for the Caribbean diaspora in Canada, who have spent decades anticipating his arrival in the city. 

The Jamaican dancehall star is set to perform in the city for the first time ever this month, taking over the Scotiabank Arena for an impressive three-night stint. 

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Rising to fame in the early 2000s, Kartel has become one of Jamaica’s most influential artists and a defining voice in dancehall. His music has transcended borders globally – rightfully earning him the moniker “World Boss” – but his sound hits close to home right here in Toronto, where the genre has long played a central role in the city’s musical identity. 

Kartel’s popularity never seemed to waver during his incarceration on murder charges in Jamaica. Despite serving a life sentence that made him eligible for parole at 73 years old, he continued to release new music from prison, often with surprisingly timely lyrical content.

In March 2024, Kartel’s conviction was overturned due to juror misconduct. Months later, the Jamaica Court of Appeal declined to retry the case, citing unnecessary costs, the passage of time and the dancehall star’s declining health. Following his release from prison, he took over National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica on Dec. 31, 2024, for “Freedom Street,” his first-ever live performance in over a decade – drawing a crowd of nearly 35,000. 

Now, almost a year later – and with an assist from homegrown rapper Drake – Kartel is bringing his infectious sound and braggadocious vibe to a Toronto audience of nearly 60,000 across three shows. Previously, the pair shared the stage at Wireless Festival in London, England this past July.

But how has Kartel managed to stay top of mind after all these years? 

VYBZ KARTEL’S IMPACT IN THE 6IX

Toronto-bred Hip-Hop veteran Kardinal Offishall says Kartel’s long-standing appeal is a testament to his one-of-a-kind presence.

“Kartel is one of the most engaging and entertaining personalities in music, across genres,” Offishall told Now Toronto. “He came from being locked up for so long and mastered the game better than almost anybody. You have to respect that.”

While Canadian DJ and radio personality SPEXDABOSS says it’s simple: people love an underdog story. 

“A lot of people, they resonate with him as a person that might look like them, sound like them, come from a place like them,” he told Now Toronto. 

“Kartel proved everybody wrong. You can make it, and not only make it within Jamaica or within your country, but if you put the time and the effort into it, you can really break out throughout the whole world.” 

Even in his own recent hits like the sultry patois-laden track “SOAK,” featuring Rotimi, Offishall has continually helped put Toronto’s heavily Jamaican-influenced sound on the global map, something he says is a direct influence of Kartel’s impact on the local dancehall scene.

“Kartel has set the tone for dancehall for a long time. He’s had number one songs while still in prison,” he said. “Toronto respects and upholds dancehall culture at all costs, so it’s natural to us to support all the greats.”

Describing Kartel’s sound as “timeless,” SPEXDABOSS says what makes his music trendy is that it introduces you to something you may have never heard. Whether its brand new words, clever rhyming schemes, or his fearless approach to touch on taboo topics that aren’t typically heard in mainstream media, Kartel’s music always introduces something fresh. 

“He says things that maybe higher society doesn’t want him to talk about. He opens your eyes to a lot of things, and he goes against the system,” SPEXDABOSS explained. “Especially for younger generations and younger people who are trying to find themselves, maybe he kind of represents them.” 

With more than 314,000 Caribbean people living in Toronto – including 140,870 Jamaicans according to the 2021 census – SPEXDABOSS says he already knows the diaspora is going to show up and show out. But he predicts fans from far and wide will travel to the city to witness this historic moment for the culture. 

“There’s going to be people coming in from all over: from Kipling to Kennedy, St John’s to B.C., and not to mention places that are very close in proximity, like New York, Rochester, Buffalo and Detroit,” he said. 

“With Toronto being the biggest melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities and all that, you’re going to have different people… people from Africa are going to be flying in for it, Kartel has a lot of Indian fans, Italian fans and Scottish fans. It’s going to be absolutely incredible to see everything and everyone come together.”

For fans looking to brush up on the biggest Kartel hits, Offishall suggests the songs  “Clarks,” “Fever,” and “Romping Shop” are guaranteed to go off. But SPEXDABOSS says he can’t wait to see the reactions of Canadian fans when he drops “Money Pon Mi Brain (C-T Scan)” where he name drops Toronto’s Jane and Finch neighbourhood as well as Edmonton, Alberta. 

For many in the city’s Caribbean communities, Kartel represents more than just music: he symbolizes ambition and cultural pride.

“Kartel is a fixture with the fans here,” Offishall said. “He’s similar to a Jay-Z, wherein he’s bigger than just the music. There’s an aspirational side to Kartel’s story that resonates with the entire diaspora.”

“Big shout out to Vybz Kartel for showing not only my generation, but younger generations and generations to come, that when you take a chance on yourself and you bet on yourself, you will always win,” SPEXDABOSS said. 

Vybz Kartel will perform at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 26, 27 and 30. Tickets are available here.