On July 7, 2013, Vybz Kartel released The Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto — Incarcerated But Not Silenced, a twenty-seven-track compilation recorded while he was in custody awaiting trial. The project arrived seven months after he was acquitted in one murder case and weeks before a separate trial would begin in the matter of Clive “Lizard” Williams, our 2013 archive entry records.
The record
Structured as a roots-and-culture statement rather than a straight dancehall drop, the album weaves previously released material with narrative interludes voiced by Jamaica Observer writer Louis Moyston. Tracks such as “Mr. Broadcast Commission (Anuh My Music)” frame Kartel as a commentator on class division — the “haves” and “have-nots” in permanent conflict, as the original review put it. The title echoed that of a book Kartel had published the previous year, extending his self-portrait from entertainer to author and advocate for the underprivileged.
Music from prison
Kartel’s ability to release music from behind bars was already unprecedented in Jamaican dancehall. The Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto made the circumstance explicit: incarceration had not stopped the output, and the Teacha treated the studio — wherever it could be reached — as non-negotiable. The album is among the most cited proof that Kartel’s influence did not pause during his years in custody.
Why it matters
Before the 2014 verdict that would send him away for more than a decade, this album captured Kartel at his most self-aware — framing his lyrics as social reportage and daring listeners to separate the art from the man. It remains a touchstone for understanding why his fan base stayed loyal through the trials that followed.
Listen and dig deeper
- Play The Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto — Incarcerated But Not Silenced in the Listen library, and browse Vybz Kartel.
- From our archive: the original 2013 album stream post. Previously: Pon Di Gaza 2.0 (2010). Next: The 2014 murder conviction.
Sources: JamaicansMusic — The Voice of the Jamaican Ghetto album stream (July 15, 2013); Discogs — master release; AllMusic — Vybz Kartel biography.
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.