Vybz Kartel, the reggae artist who recently raised eyebrows for bleaching his skin, is now explaining the method to his madness. Earlier this morning, Kartel was interviewed on New York’s Hot 97 morning show, and explained why he got a reverse tan. According to the rapper, who lightened his skin color from a mocha brown color to an Ashy Larry tone, the stunt was done simply to gain shock value. “Vybz Kartel is the artist that you can expect the unexpected from,” says the rapper. “Vybz Kartel is the outrageous artist from Jamaica that does outrageous stuff. That is why you see pictures like this.” Though previously reported that he used some sort of cake soap to lighten his hue, Kartel is tightlipped in the interview about how he attained his newfound color, but says it’s an ancient secret. He also went on to deny that he is promoting self-hate. “This is not a black self-hate thing, because Vybz Kartel is a conscious black brother,” the dancehall artist adds. “Like I said before, I am an entertainer. I get paid to entertain.” He also previously released a statment to VIBE saying one thing to his critics; “Fawk YOU.” “I’m my own man, and as such I do my own thing. When black women stop straightening their hair and wearing wigs and weaves, when white women stop getting lip and butt injections and implants, when bald men stop getting hair transplants, and when people stop getting nose jobs and cosmetic surgery then I’ll stop using the ‘cakesoap’ and we’ll all live naturally ever after. Until then, f**k you all.” Listen to the interview and click the page #s to see more of Vybz’ new look.
