Vybz Kartel announces ‘Worl’ Boss Summer 2025 Tour’ as he returns to global stage

After greater than a decade off the street, Vybz Kartel is again—and taking his act worldwide. The dancehall star, who was launched from jail final summer time following the overturn of his 2014 homicide conviction, has announced his Worl’ Boss Summer season 2025 Tour, with performances scheduled throughout the U.S., Europe, and the Caribbean.

The tour comes as Kartel releases a brand new single, “Fairly Woman”, a breezy, percussion-driven monitor produced by Now or By no means Miami. The accompanying video—directed by Rizzy—is as shiny and stylized because the music itself, centering round Kartel’s well-established admiration for ladies. It’s his first launch below Defiant Information, the brand new label from music government Steven ‘Steve-O’ Carless.

The monitor leans right into a extra pop-oriented sound, maybe signaling Kartel’s intent to attraction to a broader, international viewers as he re-establishes himself within the stay enviornment. Whether or not “Fairly Woman” turns into a summer time anthem stays to be seen, but it surely arrives at a time when Kartel is clearly attempting to shift his narrative—from incarcerated icon to worldwide headliner.

The tour is already underway, having kicked off within the U.S. with exhibits in Brooklyn and Miami—his first stateside performances in additional than 20 years, following the reinstatement of his U.S. visa earlier this 12 months. 1000’s turned out to see him on the Barclays Heart in April, adopted by a packed present at Miami’s Amerant Bank Arena on Could 17.

Kartel’s camp has since introduced further U.S. stops in Atlanta, Atlantic Metropolis, and Baltimore, together with main dates in Europe—together with a slot at London’s Wi-fi Competition, a headliner present at The O2 Area, and appearances in Paris, Amsterdam, and Cologne. On the Caribbean leg, Kartel is booked for Reggae Sumfest in Jamaica, the St. Kitts Music Competition, and One Caribbean Music Competition in Trinidad. The tour additionally features a September look at Malta’s Freedom Avenue Europe Competition.

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It’s a big pivot for an artist whose profession has lengthy existed on the intersection of creativity and controversy. Because the early 2000s, Vybz Kartel, born Adidja Palmer, has been one of the influential voices in dancehall. Tracks like “Clarks,” “Summertime,” and “Romping Store” helped outline a era of Jamaican music, and his affect extends via youthful acts like Popcaan and Shaun Storm.

However his rise was interrupted in 2011 when he was arrested and later convicted for homicide, a conviction he maintained was unjust and which was overturned in 2024 by the UK-based Privy Council. Even throughout his incarceration, Kartel managed to stay musically energetic, releasing a number of albums and singles from behind bars, together with the U.S. gold-certified hit “Fever.”

Now again within the highlight, Kartel is already making headlines—some celebratory, some cautious. Nonetheless, there’s no denying the cultural weight of Kartel’s return. Since his launch, he’s acquired a MOBO Influence Award, earned a Grammy nomination, and appeared on the quilt of Billboard. His 2023 album Viking: tenth Yr Anniversary and viral moments with on-line creators like Kai Cenat have solely added gas to the fireplace.

In an announcement in regards to the tour, Kartel mentioned: “The summer time is ours, and we’re able to take the world by storm—extra passport stamps, extra ‘Fairly Women’ and countless prospects.”

Whether or not this marks a full-fledged comeback or the beginning of a fastidiously curated rebrand, one factor is definite: Vybz Kartel stays a commanding presence in dancehall, each at residence and overseas.