Dancehall heavyweight Vybz Kartel, has vowed never to bleach his skin again.
The musician popularly known as World Boss is marking a dramatic turn from his controversial past as Jamaica’s most high-profile proponent of skin lightening.
Speaking candidly on New York’s Hot 97, the formerly incarcerated ‘King of Dancehall’ declared a newfound pride in his natural complexion.
“I’m fully melanated. I would never bleach again,” he said firmly, signalling a powerful departure from his lighter skin.
In the early 2010s, Kartel unapologetically championed skin bleaching, so much so that he became the unofficial poster child for the trend in Jamaican pop culture.
His then-partner, Tanesha ‘Shorty’ Johnson, even launched a skin-lightening brand called “Boss Lady Skin Lightening,” capitalising on the wave Kartel helped stir.
Before his imprisonment, the ‘Colouring This Life’ and ‘Summertime’ hitmaker proudly showcased his dramatically lighter skin tone, a transformation that sparked widespread debate across the Caribbean.
His 2010 track “Cake Soap,” which referenced a product rumoured to lighten skin, fuelled both fandom and fierce criticism. Many fans embraced his new look, while others decried his influence, especially on the youth.
Kartel admitted his motivations were more complex than they seemed at the time.
“In hindsight, I think it definitely had to do with self-love. But on the other hand, while I was doing it, my mind wasn’t telling me that,” he explained. “My mind was telling me I’m doing this to show my tattoos because I got a lot of tattoos. But looking back, I think it was just, as a black man, sometimes we have those issues.”
Kartel questioned the underlying reasons why some Black people struggle with their appearance, suggesting that the root of such insecurities may be historical.
“That Eurocentric look. Black people have always wanted to look like that. I guess it is something to do with slavery,” he mused.
Now, the “Romping Shop” star insists he’s left that phase behind for good. “I’ll never bleach again though,” he reiterated.
He also revealed another layer behind his choice, the power of shock value.
“Shock value is good too,” Kartel admitted. “But once you said ‘OK this is shock value,’ now people are looking, now you need content, you need to deliver.”
The dancehall icon, was released from prison in July 2024 after spending thirteen years behind bars