Why Vybz Kartel Bleached His Skin and The Regrets He Has

Famous Dancehall artist Adidja "Vybz Kartel" Palmer has expressed regret over bleaching his skin to appear lighter.

The renowned musician discussed his history with skin bleaching during a recent appearance on the U.S. radio show Hot97 with American radio host Ebro Darden.

Reflecting on that period of his life, Kartel said that in the past, he bleached his skin to make it appear lighter, primarily so that his tattoos could be more visible.

“I mean, in hindsight, it definitely had something to do with self-love. But at the time I was doing it, my mind didn’t tell me that. My mind was telling me, ‘I’m doing this to show off my tattoos’ … I had a lot of tattoos.”

Kartel also revealed during the interview that he has reduced his use of alcohol and smoking, and that he is looking forward to marrying his girlfriend Sidem Öztürk and having “Turkish children.”

Having been released from prison after serving a 13-year sentence, Kartel now believes his life will change significantly according to the strategies he has put in place.

Based on these changes, Kartel appears to be evolving, especially considering that many of his earlier songs were filled with explicit sexual content and references to drug abuse, which may have negatively influenced his young fans around the world.

When rumours first emerged that Kartel had started bleaching his skin around 15 years ago, some people claimed that he was trying to look like Sean Paul in order to achieve greater success in the Dancehall music scene.

This was according to Zachary Harding, a company executive and former manager of Sean Paul.

In an article published on the LoopTT website in 2020, Harding was quoted as saying:

“He and I had a long conversation, and he started asking what role Sean Paul’s ‘brown skin’ played in his success — and this was exactly around the time Kartel began bleaching.”

“I found it interesting because he was curious about the question: ‘Did Sean’s light skin tone influence his success?’ compared to Kartel’s success,” Harding added.

Although Kartel has achieved massive success in Jamaica and is considered the King of Dancehall, he has never won a Grammy or enjoyed international success on the same level as Sean Paul.