The dancehall world is buzzing over the latest instalments in the Gully-Gaza feud with incarcerated dancehall artiste Vybz Kartel and Mavado dropping hard-hitting diss tracks over the last ten days.
Vybz Kartel’s ‘Step’ sounded the war drums and made allusions to the recent Mavado-Popcaan war with the line ‘baby strength dem have” while Mavado dropped ‘Brawla’ where he boasts that “my friend dem a buss head inna yu place and yu know that” with a cameo from cult movie star Louie Ranking of ‘Shottas’ fame.
Vybz Kartel’s ‘Roun Corner’ raised the stakes and racked up 900,000 plus views and triggered other offshoots of the lyrical war with Louie Ranking being slighted by Kartel in the diss song.
“Dog how him say him bad and is a gal kill him,” Vybz Kartel said in the intro. Ranking posted a video on Instagram responding to Kartel’s jab in a lengthy rant.
“No bwoy disrespect the general and think I won’t answer to that – I am the original Jamaican don dada… who muder people fi fun,” he wrote. “Rockforth St Thomas me say. #Brawla #Round Corna #Me respect ever artist i respect – Movado i respect you Kartel. Woman bring me and a woman ago take me out. Any boi can try.”
After that, Mavado teamed up with Stephen McGregor on ‘Mr. Dead’ on the Horror Nights riddim, and upped the ante even further. Mavado boasts that he is buying Kartel’s “kids ice cream” and accuses Kartel of homosexual tendencies in prison, with references to “cell block #2”, and that track has racked up hundreds of thousands of views as well.
Vybz Kartel clapped back with the new dark diss track, ‘The Last One’ produced by TJ Records, on Saturday night. But Mavado had already claimed to have travelled back to the USA for several tour dates. While Kartel has been getting rave reviews from the core of his supporters, and racking up 400,000 views where he says that “Mavado dead two time”. Mavado seemed unimpressed, suggesting as much via his Instagram.
“Gullyside all I can say I’m very disappointed!!! no mercy,” the Gullyside singjay wrote.
A rep for the Gullyside camp even suggested that the song was “weak weak weak” compared to songs that they have in their arsenal.
“The fans know that Vado is another league right now,” the rep said.
The recent outpouring of songs has reignited the speculation that Vybz Kartel is recording songs behind bars. The Department of Correctional Services has been silent on the matter. A former prison official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Loop Jamaica that “Kartel would only be allowed to record music in prison if the Department of Correctional Services deems him fit to be part of a rehabilitation programme, depending on his conduct”
