Dancehall icon Vybz Kartel is no stranger to controversy, but in a recent candid conversation with Ebro Darden on Hot97, the artist took a reflective turn, addressing a topic that has long sparked debate in the Caribbean and beyond\u2014skin bleaching.<\/p>\n
Known for his influence on Jamaican music and culture, Kartel admitted that his past decision to bleach his skin stemmed from deeper, internal struggles. \u201cI mean, in hindsight, it definitely had to do with self-love,\u201d he confessed during the interview. \u201cBut on the other hand, while I was doing it, my mind wasn\u2019t telling me that. My mind was telling me, \u2018I am doing this to show my tattoos.\u2019 I’ve got a lot of tattoos.\u201d<\/p>\n
For years, the artist had publicly maintained that his choice was primarily aesthetic\u2014meant to highlight his ink\u2014but his recent reflections suggest a more complex truth. Kartel acknowledged that as a Black man, grappling with societal pressures and Eurocentric beauty standards likely influenced his decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut looking back, it was just as a Black man, sometimes we have those issues,\u201d he said. \u201cBut I would never bleach again though.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Ebro pressed further, asking what those \u201cissues\u201d entailed, Kartel pointed directly at the lasting impact of colonialism. \u201cThat Eurocentric look… Black people have always wanted to look like that,\u201d he said. \u201cI guess it has to do with slavery.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kartel\u2019s remarks have ignited fresh discussions on the long-standing influence of European ideals on Black identity and self-image. For many fans, the artist\u2019s honesty marks a powerful shift\u2014not just in his personal narrative, but also in the broader dialogue surrounding beauty, race, and self-acceptance in Black communities.<\/p>\n
Whether you agree with his past or present stance, one thing is clear: Vybz Kartel\u2019s voice continues to be a powerful one, both in music and cultural commentary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dancehall icon Vybz Kartel is no stranger to controversy, but in a recent candid conversation with Ebro Darden on Hot97, the artist took a reflective turn, addressing a topic that has long sparked debate in the Caribbean and beyond\u2014skin bleaching. Known for his influence on Jamaican music and culture, Kartel admitted that his past decision […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[260],"class_list":["post-10530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-breakingnews"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10530"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10531,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10530\/revisions\/10531"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandbox.reggaenorthca.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}