Dancehall legend Vybz Kartel is out of prison. To celebrate, he dropped a new project to celebrate. First Week Out is 12 tracks long and about 33 minutes. It also features SQUASH, a newer dancehall artist, one that some fans of the genre consider the face of the scene. The mixtape serves as a collection of loosies that have floated around since the dancehall star has been in prison. Vybz, long considered a polarizing force in the dancehall space, has done work with some of the biggest names in music. Eminem, Jay-Z, and Rihanna, to name a few. Of course, Vybz Kartel's release from prison is a big deal to those who are fans of the space in which he operates.
After 13 years, Vybz Kartel and three co-defendants gained their release from Jamaican prison on Wednesday. Back in 2014, the court sentenced the artist to life in prison for the 2011 murder of Clive "Lizard" Williams. Vybz's trial was the longest in the island’s history, lasting 65 days. Toward the end of the process, the jury suspected that a juror was offering bribes to the other jurors. That contributed to Vybz receiving a guilty verdict, though he always maintained his innocence. In March, a London appeals court threw out their convictions. They stated that allowing the juror accused of bribery to continue serving led to a “miscarriage of justice.” The Jamaican Court of Appeal then decided a retrial wasn’t worth the effort and set the four men free, also citing Vybz's poor health in their explanation. Stream the first release from the dancehall star since coming out of prison below.
Vybz Kartel - First Week Out
First Week Out tracklist:
Feel Great (Intro) [feat. SQUASH]
The Menace
Terror By Night
Unstoppable
Skillful (feat. SQUASH)
Adiadking
Giant (feat. SQUASH)
Victorious
Beat Dem Bad
Win
Success Story
Number One