Vybz Kartel’s Lawyer Says Dancehall Star Is “Not Happy” With Baptism Rumors

Isat Buchanan, the Attorney-at-law representing Vybz Kartel, has dismissed recent rumors regarding the Dancehall deejay’s supposed Christian conversion and baptism.

“Vybz Kartel has denied that he was either baptised or contemplated it.  It is fake news and irresponsible journalism as the letter is not endorsed or approved by anyone. He is not happy because the rumour is making a mockery of Christianity and his position that he is innocent and does not need to repent for anything,” Isat Buchanan told DancehallMag.

This is not the first time that a rumor has spread about Kartel’s possible baptism as in 2017, the letter purportedly written by Vybz Kartel had surfaced with similar claims that the artist was planning to get baptized.

Buchanan said neither he nor his client are aware of how the rumour got started.

He took the opportunity to take a jab at the “sub-human conditions” that currently exist in the island’s penal institutions. “There is no holy water flowing through the dirty prisons,” he said.

“There are no facilities to allow for any baptisms, the subhuman conditions under which prisoners are forced to live are deplorable. They don’t even have proper running water and facilities, much less to baptise anybody in holy water.”

In a June 14 article in the Jamaica Star, spiritual leaders expressed ‘excitement’ at the possibility of the deejay getting baptized.  Stephen Blake, the self-proclaimed ‘Pastor of the Dancehall’ and a member of the Acts of the Holy Spirit Ministries International, told the Jamaica Star that Christians have been praying for Kartel’s salvation.

“It would be a great victory for the Kingdom of God, if it is true. This would affect the dancehall in a massive way, and an even bigger way than he has done before – like Saul to Paul in the Bible – maybe he could have the same impact,” Blake was quoted as saying.

However, Buchanan believes that the church needs to “cast out first the beam out of thine own eye”.

“We find the rumours offensive, even the comments that the church has made about welcoming Kartel’s baptism are offensive. The church needs to clean its own house, the church has its own internal issues to contend with as it relates to the sexual molestation of minors,” he said. 

Last week, a 39 -year-old Pastor Jason Rose was charged with rape after reportedly assaulting a 15-year-old girl at his St James church. The police said Rose, who is also a processing clerk, allegedly assaulted a 15-year-old girl while she was at the church in March 2021. Kemhi Rose, the wife of the pastor, was subsequently charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and a number of offences under the Child Care and Protection Act.

In the last seven years, a number of young Jamaican women have accused pastors throughout the island of sexual abuse, with one of the youngest cases being a 12-year-old, whose abuser, Kenneth Blake, a former pastor of Harvest Temple Apostolic Church, was charged in 2017.

Another rape came to national attention when a child in St Elizabeth was sexually assaulted by Moravian pastor Rupert Clarke, also in 2017.

Last year, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica  moved to distance itself from one of its former pastors accused of sexually grooming, before sodomising, a teenaged boy in St Ann. The pastor resigned and fled the island.

In the meantime, Vybz Kartel is focused on his impending appeal.

“Kartel is focussed on his appeal. This rumour is all fake news, it is sad that people are using fake news to make fun of a sad situation,” Buchanan told DancehallMag.

The popular entertainer was convicted in April 2014 for the murder of Clive ‘Lizard’ Williams at a house in Havendale, St Andrew. He was sentenced to life and will have to serve 35 years in prison before being eligible for parole.

Another entertainer Shawn Storm, whose given name is Shawn Campbell, as well as Kahira Jones and Andre St John were also convicted for the August 2011 murder.

They were ordered to serve 25 years each before being eligible for parole. Vybz Kartel and his co-convicts had appealed their convictions, but the Court of Appeal rejected the appeal. However, the men were granted conditional leave to take their case to the Privy Council.