Where Is Vybz Kartel Now? He's Being Released From Prison

Vybz Kartel Is Being Released From Prison After 10 Years in "Inhumane" Conditions — What's Next?

Will he be releasing new music?

Published Aug. 1 2024, 12:13 p.m. ET

Over a decade ago, "King of Dancehall" Vybz Kartel was put behind bars on a life sentence. As previously reported by Distractify, the Jamaican musician (real name: Adidja Palmer) was arrested after being accused of murdering a man named Clive "Lizard" Williams, whose body was never found. Vybz, alongside suspected accomplices Shawn Campbell, Kahira Jones, and Andre St John, were all sentenced to jail time, though they staunchly maintained their innocence.

However, following a series of appeals, a court in London finally agreed in March 2024 to overturn the conviction due to inappropriate conduct from a juror. And now that Vybz is a free man, fans want to know where he'll go from here — especially because his health has reportedly been declining.

Here's what we know.

Where is Vybz Kartel now? He's officially a free man.

Despite serving jail time, Vybz's popularity in the dancehall space certainly hasn't waned — especially since he was able to put out multiple new tracks while imprisoned. And now that he's a free man, the public is hoping for a new era of his music career. Since his release, Vybz has been active on social media, posting consistently about his newfound freedom on Instagram.

Fans and friends have welcomed him with open arms, one person writing, "I know it feels like a dream, king. Welcome home."

However, Vybz's reportedly declining health may put a damper on any plans for new music. In fact, one of the main reasons why the musician was set free instead of having a retrial was due to his poor health. According to Fox 5 News, the court stated that there was sufficient evidence that, should he be given a longer sentence, he would not be physically able to serve it.

His defense cites the severely inhumane conditions in prison for this decline: "His neck was swollen, if you think of a shirt that is about 18.5 inches in the neck area, you couldn't close the collar on his neck, and that's how bad it is in this moment," they told Fox 5. "His face is actually swollen. And one other thing. He always wears glasses; in this condition, that causes his eyes to protrude."

Additionally, a medical affidavit obtained by Fox 5 shows that Vybz's doctor warned that the conditions in prison were exacerbating Vybz's Graves' disease, as well as a preexisting heart condition.

The state of his health at this moment is unknown, though it's likely that he will now be able to seek proper medical attention outside of jail.

How long was Vybz Kartel in jail?

Vybz Kartel and his associates were originally arrested for the murder of Clive "Lizard" Williams in 2011. He was put on trial in November of 2013 and officially convicted and sentenced in March of 2014. Reportedly, his 65-day trial was the longest in Jamaica's history.

Vybz was given a life sentence with opportunity for parole after 35 years — however, he clearly didn't serve his full sentence before being released in 2024. Vybz was in jail for a decade.

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