This seems obvious to me if you listen to both of their latest songs ..

So with Kartel facing murder charges and things looking generally hopeless for him, he comes out with Ghetto Road

So he came from a place which was difficult and he’s faced a lot of hardship, if you re-read some of my previous posts, you will see that I am a real Kartel fan and have given him a lot of understanding, but he has let life really get to him.

Whereas, I think that Mavado is really rising above it all and OK, he comes from the same Kingston streets, but he’s using his new situation to enjoy life.

I actually rate Kartel for being more real in a way but when it comes to survival in this life,  he maybe has something to learn from the Gully God.

It’s not surprising she won after the debacle of the one term Bruce Golding JLP government. 

The PNP have traditionally been a party representing the poor, she promises trust in the government – something that is needed more than anything.   She hasn’t convinced me yet to be honest as she seemed distinctly quiet over the whole Dudus-Golding affair and she has been accused of not being smart enough to lead the country – I don’t think that matters really – Reagan and Bush ran the US remember! Here’s a profile of her which was broadcast in 2007 CLICK HERE. 

The point is, she really needs to clean up politics by cutting off the links with the criminals, maybe it’s good to move away from the rich elite of Jamaica and the JLP, let’s hope she works to lift Jamaicans out of their poverty.

It seems that the path to prison could have been foretold as there were growing bad vibes swirling around the man.  Last time I was in JA, a number of people were talking to me about how they hated him and they told me of alleged violent attacks mentioning his name.  I put this down to a general ground swell of rumour which inevitably follows a man like Kartel who courts controversy and has an entourage all trying to live up to a reputation in a place where violence and gun crime is more than just part of the lexicon.  Add to this mix, a self destructive element – skin bleaching and the recent spat with Corey Todd – all signal a ticking time bomb.  In a small place like JA, making more enemies than friends is a dangerous position to find yourself.

Vybz Kartel March 2011 photo courtesy of Varun Baker

The real question which of course must be asked is, ‘is he guilty?’ If he is, then this would spell the end of the Gaza era.

Bruce Golding 2008 - 2011

First, let me just say a couple of things about the resignation.  Any credibility that Golding may have had in making his exit speech, seem to ring hollow because it has taken so long to come about.  Deafeningly loud calls for his resignation were being made way back last year, when it emerged that he knew about the contacting of a law form to lobby against the US extradition request for Christopher Coke – a notorious crime lord currently pleading guilty to drug and gun charges.  Although Golding did offer his resignation at the time, it seemed a half hearted attempt to do so as his loyal party rejected the request, which he duly went along with.  There is an air of suggestion that he could not cling onto power any longer.

All this after the ill fated decision to storm Tivoli Gardens in a fruitless search for the drug don Christopher Coke at the expense of so many lives, not to mention the huge damage to Jamaica’s international reputation which will continue to be tainted for a very very long time to come.

Golding came to power with the help of edward seaga – the man tainted by links between crime dons and politicians when he was in power and garrison politics first came to the fore when guns and violence were exchanged for votes. He comes from the Jamaican political elite – his father was in politics.

So where is the new blood or are we just going to see more of the same?  People being groomed from the same stock with the correct links and access to power?  Here are a couple of youth leaders in action, Damion Crawford and then there’s also Generation 2000 (G2K) president Delano Seiveright.  Is there hope for anyone else to emerge from somewhere else entirely?  What about someone from Tivoli gardens?

L-R Corey Todd - business partner to Kartel and on the right is the Govt information minister Daryl Vaz

I was talking to a friend today who was telling me about Kartel’s club in New Kingston called “The Building” and how he’s got his fingers in all these pies – well, it turns out that he’s been cut out.

After disagreements with his business partner, Corey Todd after alleged threats to Todd’s life, the club was closed for a couple of weeks and is reopening on July 1st.  It will be changing its name to Club Riddim without Kartel.  Read more and line ups here

I found this photo of Kartel with the govt Information Minister Daryl Vaz which seems pretty odd to me.

So what are people thinking about kartel nowadays?  Everyone i talk to is saying how he’s losing his way and casting Jamaica in his own freaky image.

Certainly, losing his business partner would not be a great move in building the Gaza Empire.

And this shocking statement by Todd is really signalling where Kartel is at nowadays.  In it Todd is reported to say that if anything happens to me, then you know where to look.

It adds to the rumours of violence circulating around the dancehall star. This is such a shame as he used to be lovely.

Here is Corey Todd talking about the end of this business relationship.

All I have to add is did the police really deem it necessary to have a presence at this event?  I think the club security would have been a better idea.

This is Mavado’s answer to the incident.  He says the gun was “popped” with no provocation.

He’s been awaiting a date since he was arrested in June 2010 and then extradited to the US on drug and gun charges.

The main thing going on before that date is the motion filed by Dudus lawyers to throw out wiretap evidence, used in the extradition order against him.  That would be pretty crucial in the case – his lawyers argue that it contravened Jamaican law to hand it over to the Americans.

But as Coke continues to be holed up inside a cell in the US, how are things on the outside in Tivoli Gardens. West Kingston?

The govt say they are dealing with crime with an ‘iron fist’  reporting 700 fewer murders over the last year.   The police also say they are making significant inroads in efforts to eradicate gangs, dismantling 50 per cent of the 57 targeted since the New Year.  Is it leading to safer streets and will it last I wonder?