By 2010, Vybz Kartel had turned “Gaza” from a Portmore neighbourhood into a dancehall brand. Pon Di Gaza 2.0, released in February that year, is the second instalment in the series — thirty-five tracks deep, packed with Kartel solo cuts and appearances from Gaza-affiliated artists including Gaza Slim, the Discogs listing records.
The Gaza franchise
The original Pon Di Gaza arrived in 2009; the 2.0 sequel expanded the formula into a label-style compilation that functioned as both album and manifesto. Kartel’s feud with Beenie Man and the broader Gully versus Gaza rivalry had already polarised Jamaican dancehall; Pon Di Gaza 2.0 gave the Gaza side its definitive soundtrack. Tracks from the project — and singles released in the same window, including “Clarks” — kept Kartel at the top of local charts and on international radar through collaborations with major Western artists, the AllMusic biography notes.
Why it matters
Pon Di Gaza 2.0 is peak Worl’ Boss — the moment Kartel operated as artist, producer, brand manager and cultural lightning rod simultaneously. The Gaza model influenced how later dancehall camps — from 6ix to Montego Bay’s own factions — would organise themselves around a single dominant personality.
Listen and dig deeper
- Play Pon Di Gaza 2.0 and Pon Di Gaza in the Listen library, and browse Vybz Kartel and Gaza Slim.
- Previously: “Clarks” and a footwear craze (2010). Next: The Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto (2013).
Sources: Discogs — Pon Di Gaza 2.0 master release; AllMusic — Vybz Kartel biography; Wikipedia — Vybz Kartel.
Editor’s note: This entry is part of the JamaicansMusic online museum — a career timeline assembled from the archive. It is dated to the era it documents; every claim is drawn from the linked sources.