The Voice Of The Jamaican Ghetto: Incarcerated but not Silenced

by Adidja Palmer

when I decided I wanted to fulfill my desire to have tattoos all over my skin, I knew there would be backlash from a public not used to seeing this in Jamaica. I re-emphasize, I am an artiste; I get paid to entertain. My birth name is Adidja Palmer, I am 35 years old and I am an entertainer. When I am on stage, I am called Vybz Kartel, a Dancehall Deejay who is lyrically inclined. I feed my family not by robbing, not by being a politician (not much of a difference there in my opinion), not by swindling, not by selling drugs but by entertaining as Vybz Kartel. Professional entertainers typically don’t wear the same clothing that the general public does; we typically don’t drive the same kind of cars nor do we go to the same events. I have done other things, for example, I wear braces without my dentist deeming them necessary. Was this about me having an issue with my teeth? I hope that one day Jamaica understands that professional entertainers entertain and do not confuse artistic characteristics with individual characteristics. The classic proof of this is demonstrated in some