Kartel, Cooper and Street Vybz U.W.I edition

 Before I start my ranting, I’d like readers to understand that this article contains my opinions and simply that, it is not meant to offend anyone and if it does… HUSH.

 I’d like to assume that most of you Jamaican have seen the Kartel lecture videos (if not the videos are at the end of the article). I pretty much wasted an hour of my life that could’ve been better used saving hungry puppies, reordering my bookshelf and clipping my nails because all these seem WAY more productive than watching this garbage. It was out of sheer curiosity, why I decided to even watch them. I mean all week there was this ongoing hype “ who going to the Kartel lecture?” “nah forward to the Kartel lecture??”  Umm how about NO?… what is this? Some kinda house party? Integration or is street vybz  U.W.I edition?  Now get this I’m the sort of person who needs a back story before I even form an opinion, seems fair enough.

 As the story goes, once upon a time you had this Professor, called Carolyn Cooper, who is the lecturer of a course called “Reggae Poetry” in the department of Literatures in English at the U.W.I Mona campus. I am to understand that this course focuses on the literary qualities of lyrics of popular Jamaican artists. As an assignment, students are allowed to select a song of their choosing by any reggae/dancehall lyricists and then to analyze its literary qualities. It seems Kartel’s songs which are already popular among young sheep… I mean people, was often chosen even though he isn’t one of the prescribed lyricists of the course.  Professor Cooper then saw it fitting to invite Kartel to speak to her class,  however instead of making this a closed forum, she invited others from the broader university community and public to attend the lecture. (*PLEASE* keep in mind the initial reason for the invitation).  At the beginning of the lecture (I’m guessing while they wait on Kartel to arrive fashionably late?) Professor Cooper can be seen reading what seems to be a print out of an email sent by Mr. Palmer. The content of the email seems to amuse her as she read and her chubby lil cheeks start flaring up “Your opinion  does not matter what matters is that my songs get so popular, as be the case the ones you and your colleagues a look a forward pon”.

 Seemingly TRUE and strong statement by an egotistical individual, I am no fan of Kartel and I in no way is trying to defend him but when I see a valid point I have got to point it out.  All too often Kartel has  been  plastered  in news papers and  ‘To the editor’  columns, have we run out of things of real interest to address in Jamaica? Things that really matter? Journalists and now professors at the university level have made it their duty to help him maintain his popularity. It truly makes no sense to continue pin pointing what he does wrong because the public has become accustomed to it. Another valid point he made was that he was just being himself, GOOD point! If he finds his skin bleaching aesthetically pleasing who are we to say otherwise? Matter of fact if we as young individuals are so in tune with our identity why should we adapt the ways of someone else?   His behaviour is neither outlandish or strange as it relates to bleaching,  a “Mr. Felephant Dan”  showed signs of lightened pigmentation in his skin too and Kartel is the one to get loud up.

 Cooper stated that, Vybz Kartel was not the first artist to be invited to the University of the West Indies for a forum such as this one but question? What was the content of their discussion?  And has any other artist of such a magnitude of psychological malfunction that of Mr. Kartel’s  ever lectured there before? Oh yeah! if you obviously knew that this would kick up his ego and students would take nothing from this experience WHY INVITE HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE??? Leaves me to the conclusion that maybe  it’s a cause of the paradox of sane people being insane.

 As you continue viewing this compilation of absolute nonsense , you  see Prof. Cooper screaming at some unseen  sound technician to fix the mic, you could not have told the difference between her and the ever popular women you see on “ Wat a gwaan” who highlight  resemble Mr. Kartel.   Through out most of his lecture, Kartel’s points can barely be heard over the childish boos, yays and mimicry of his very homosexual sounding giggle by members of the audience. So it meant replaying the videos more than once just to be able to hear if the point he was making is valid or not.  What was very audible though were the comments of the students who were asked to come up and answer questions Kartel would pose to them. Needless to say, these comments were embarrassing, especially from what is expect of the institution of “thinker” most of whom lacked the ability to articulate themselves properly.  For the few who asked pretty straight forward questions like ‘why you have a Masonic tattoo on your “canvas” if you aren’t a free mason? Were dodged by the artiste and instead tried justifying his actions with lyrics from Bob Marley’s   “War”, now I’m no student of  U.W.I  I a take no classes in Prof. Cooper’s  Literatures in English course but as an individual that has a brain I’d like to think Marley spoke from the perspective of cultural equality and  he’d probably bun out Kartel for using that line… I’m just saying.

 One solemn shining light of intelligence I observed from all of this was the Entertainment Report  interviews’ no not from  Dr. Imani Tafari- Ama (she seemed to have contradicted herself many time), no not  from that one Nicky Minaj looking chick that could not pronounce the world illuminati but from an obvious international student/visitor. Her comment was that she didn’t get why as his supports they would ask him such questions, get all upset then turn around and root for him and support his music. My sister I would shake your hand if I met you! The point I have been screaming all along! Kartel is fueled by attention, the very people who invited him to this lecture give him the power he has.  This man constantly boasts of the attention given to him and “those of a lesser caliber will always discuss me.”

 Prof. Cooper, students of U.W.I and the general population of fans … Why? Then, would you exalt his ego? If he refers to you as sheep and he, obviously the shepherd.  I keep asking a question I won’t get an answer to. To end my rant I’ll say that I in no way shape or form find Kartel of interest, whatever he does is his business, what prompted the writing of this article is the fact that a renowned institution would put their reputation at risk like that and add more fuel to the “intellectual ghetto” fire.  These are simply my thoughts in the form of rants you are free to respond.

Links:  Entertainment report -Kartel lecture
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiQvxU16PwA

           Kartel Lecture Part 1-3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wU-RofyZ5V8 (part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8oWfbJYj7o&feature=related (part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeGFauWUK3w&feature=related (part 3)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmDHP8JdTCc&feature=related (Question and answer)