Vybz Kartel has released Heart & Soul, an 11-track project that appeared without warning at midnight on Friday, August 29, 2025, through Greedy Lion and Vybz Kartel Muzik, 13th Street Promotions and Reggaeville report. The drop coincides with his return to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for another staging of Reggaefest tonight — a venue he has already sold out twice.

All 11 tracks are in the JamaicansMusic library, sourced from VybzKartelVEVO: press Play all above to hear the album while you read, open the Heart & Soul album page, or jump to the track-by-track player below.

Love songs, mostly

The title tells you the register. Kaboom describes the opener, “They’re Outta Love We Aren’t,” as a romantic dedication to his fiancée Sidem, and “I Know” as the viral hit that exploded on TikTok through a dance challenge. Most of the record was voiced in marathon studio sessions with longtime engineer RedBoom, with “In Too Deep” produced by his manager, TJ Records. Ishawna, who joined him on “Porn Flick” from January’s Viking anniversary edition, is the only feature, on “Bad Bad Bad.”

It caps a year of firsts since his release in July 2024: a first Grammy nomination, a homecoming concert in Kingston, the Viking anniversary set and, six weeks ago, his coronation as King of Dancehall at Reggae Sumfest. “Featuring 11 tracks, Vybz Kartel celebrates Dancehall, and over a year of freedom,” 13th Street writes.

Tracklist

Each title links to the song page in our library, where you can play it, queue it and find the official upload.

  1. They’re Outta Love We Aren’t
  2. I Know
  3. You Walked Away
  4. 11:45
  5. Bad Bad Bad (feat. Ishawna)
  6. Ghetto Girl Chosen
  7. Can’t Leave You Alone
  8. In Too Deep
  9. Heart and Soul
  10. Cinderella Ballroom
  11. Only Gets Better (Forever)

Release-day listings, including Reggaeville’s, gave the eleventh track as “You Know GOAT”; the streaming edition now closes with “Only Gets Better (Forever),” which is how the library album is sequenced.

Editor’s note: On November 7, 2025, Heart & Soul was nominated for Best Reggae Album at the 68th Grammy Awards — Kartel’s second nomination in a row — in an all-Jamaican field with Keznamdi, Lila Iké, Mortimer and Jesse Royal; Keznamdi’s BLXXD & FYAH won (Recording Academy; DancehallMag).

Listen and dig deeper

  • Play the full album on the Heart & Soul album page — official audio from VybzKartelVEVO, with the “They’re Outta Love We Aren’t,” “I Know,” “You Walked Away” and “Heart and Soul” music videos as alternates. The VEVO audio for “Cinderella Ballroom” runs shorter than the album cut, and “Only Gets Better (Forever)” is the official video, the only official-channel upload.
  • Browse the Vybz Kartel artist profile, including the Viking anniversary edition and Kingston Story in the library.

Sources: 13th Street Promotions — “Vybz Kartel Delivers Surprise ‘Heart & Soul’ Project” (Aug 29, 2025); Reggaeville — release page; Kaboom — “Vybz Kartel Surprises Fans with Heart and Soul EP, Showcases Lyrical Mastery” (Akeeile Harris, Aug 29, 2025); Recording Academy — Best Reggae Album, 68th Grammy Awards. Sources differ on whether Ishawna also appears on “I Know”; the official tracklist credits her on “Bad Bad Bad” only.

Editor’s note: This story is part of an archive backfill covering Jamaican music news from 2022 to 2026. It is dated to the events it reports.