While dancehall icon Vybz Kartel may not have any bad blood with fellow deejay Alkaline, he has no intention of embracing the artiste. The two Jamaican entertainers allegedly had a longstanding feud dating back to the beginning of Alkaline’s career. However, Vybz Kartel denied the existence of a feud while noting that he does not personally know Alkaline, as he never met him in person.
American podcaster and internet personality DJ Akademiks questioned why Kartel did not embrace Alkaline the way he has embraced several other talented deejays. According to Kartel, he is simply not a fan of the Vendetta artist. Kartel said Alkaline was embraced by the younger generation of his era not just because of his good music but also because they wanted their own Kartel.
“There’s no issue…I’ve never seen that kid before,” Vybz Kartel said during the interview. When DJ Akademiks mentioned that Alkaline’s music reminded him of Vybz Kartel, the Fever artist agreed and later explained that Alkaline copied his style.
The question was also asked if friction might have stemmed from Alkaline not paying homage to Vybz Kartel. However, Gaza deejay expressed that he only needs praise from his fans, who are streaming his music and attending his shows.
He added that he does not need homage from someone who is widely known to be copying his style, image, and persona. He stated that Alkaline became famous while using the Gaza hand signs and noted that Alkaline’s generation grew up listening to his music.
“Imitation is a form of flattery, but I’m not flattered,” Vybz Kartel continued.
In the past, Alkaline expressed that he respected Vybz Kartel and acknowledged him as a great artiste. However, he did not name the deejay as an influence in his musical career.
Watch the interview with Vybz Kartel below:
Watch the clip of Alkaline speaking about Vybz Kartel below:
