Vybz Kartels Sings About Scammers, Song Banned?

Rumours have been circulating about the ban of a recent Vybz Kartel song that features female artiste Gaza Slim.

The song done by the incarcerated entertainer turned author and his protégé, speaks about the scamming practice that in recent days has been highly publicised through investigations and arrests that have flooded the media.

In the song, Reparation, the two suggest that the practice is not wrong as long as the benefits are not used to fuel violence. They call the practice 'reparation', which is the making of amends for wrong or injury done.

Apparently the wrongs that have been caused to the ghetto youths they sing about.

In the song's chorus Gaza Slim sings, "As long as dem nah buy nuh gun, nah support nuh war__ Big up the man dem star from near and far__ Dem call it scam, mi call it reparation__ Every ghetto yute is a star, suh dem waan live like one."

Vybz Kartel goes on to deejay in the verses, lines such as, "Big up every scammer, weh mek US dollar__ Build up the house fi yuh mama__ Western Union people fi gi wi more honour", "Who seh di scammer dem wrong?__  No__ Hungry, poverty, that more wronger__ Better dem dweet than tek up the bomber__  Memba the youth dem nah squeeze trigger__ A just true dem a nigger" and "Mi just warn the youth dem, nuh rob Jamaica__ Doan buy gun fi kill man__ Foreign exchange is good fi the country__ Franklin USA, Sterling England."

When contacted Gaza Slim, she expressed her "right" as a musician to be able to do songs about any topic and that there are other issues more important than scamming that needs to be addressed.

"Jamaica have more problem right now dan lotto scamming that the Government need to sort out. I do music not scamming, and I think that I have the right to do songs about any topic. I am just biggin up the youths who are hustling to make money widout shooting and killing anyone. Them jus ban the song because they can, don't? As weh Worl Boss (Vybz Kartel) say inna di book, a society shouldn't prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable," said Gaza Slim.

On one YouTube channel that uploaded a makeshift video of the song on July 24, it has received over 14,500 views. Through this among other avenues, dancehall fans have been weighing in on the issue.

"Mi understand why dem ban it because when Kartel seh something the yutes dem aguh do it and scamming nuh right but the tune hard same way," read one comment.

Another read, "While I completely disagree with scamming I don't think the song should be banned. Scamming was going on long before this song and it will be there after. If they allow gun songs to be played then why not this? This is a great opportunity for the Gov again to use Kartel as a scapegoat and avoid doing their jobs by shifting the blame and focus on Kartel. He is an artiste and should only be seen as such."