Creating music while in prison is not unheard of, with artists like Mac Dre, T.I., and Hell Rell having managed to keep their careers alive from behind bars. However, Vybz Kartel, the iconic dancehall artist, took this to another level. Recently released after serving 13 years of a 35-to-life sentence, Kartel revealed in an interview how he continued to produce music during his incarceration, culminating in one of his biggest hits, “Fever.”
During an episode of the Juan Ep Is Life podcast, Kartel joined hosts Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg via video call to discuss his time in prison, his plans post-release, and, most intriguingly, how he recorded music while locked up. He candidly shared that although he initially relied on pre-recorded tracks, the well eventually ran dry. This led him to find creative ways to continue recording, even within the confines of his cell.
Kartel explained that he turned to an Apple iPhone for its “amazing sound quality” to record his vocals. To mimic the acoustic properties of a professional studio, he would wrap his mattress around his head, positioning the phone a few feet away to capture his voice. This unorthodox setup allowed him to create demos, which he then sent to an engineer to be transformed into fully produced tracks.
What’s particularly remarkable is that this same method was used to produce “Fever,” the hit single from his 2016 album King of Dancehall. Despite the challenges, Kartel recorded the song mostly at night or during guards’ lunch breaks, always on the lookout for patrols. This painstaking process, recording line by line while keeping watch, led to “Fever” becoming his most-streamed song, with over 100 million plays on Spotify.
Kartel’s ability to innovate under extreme circumstances not only kept his career afloat but also solidified his legacy in the dancehall genre. His story is a testament to resilience and the lengths an artist will go to continue creating, no matter the obstacles.
