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TORONTO – When Drake was a teenager, he’d stand outside Toronto’s long-gone Escape Nightclub handing out flyers just to get inside and lose himself in Vybz Kartel’s music. On Sunday night, he came full circle, recalling that memory on stage as he welcomed the dancehall star for his first-ever Canadian concert at Scotiabank Arena.

Kartel, dressed head to toe in Blue Jays gear, kicked off night one of three sold-out Toronto shows at the venue, becoming the first Jamaican artist to achieve the milestone.

“Look at all these people right here, how much time we’ve spent with this man’s music right here,” Drake told a frenzied crowd.

Moments earlier, the Toronto rapper made a surprise appearance, performing a string of hits — including 2016’s “Controlla” and this year’s “Nokia” — from a balcony in the arena’s lower level.

“We’ve been waiting to see you our whole [expletive] lives. Welcome home — we’re so happy to have you,” Drake told Kartel before asking permission to play some songs.

The Toronto shows, presented by Drake’s company OVO, have been long-awaited by Canadian fans. Born Adidja Palmer, Vybz Kartel is one of dancehall’s most influential — and controversial — figures. He rose to prominence in the early 2000s with hits blending dancehall and hip-hop, and continued releasing music even after his 2014 murder conviction and life sentence. Several albums, including 2016’s Billboard-charting “King of the Dancehall,” were recorded covertly from prison.

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Kartel’s conviction was overturned in March 2024 due to juror misconduct, and he was released last year. Since then, the 49-year-old has earned a Grammy nomination, embarked on a world tour and released a steady stream of new music.

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Drake has long credited Kartel as one of his biggest influences, referencing him in interviews and on social media. Drake invited Kartel to join him on stage at London’s Wireless Festival over the summer, and their collaboration continued on Canadian soil Sunday.

The crowd thundered when Kartel took the stage to his remix of Akon’s 2004 hit “Locked Up,” wielding a baseball bat and wearing a powder-blue Blue Jays jersey with “Worl’ Boss” — one of his nicknames — stitched on the back.

“Canada, we’re here!” he declared. “Yo, big up Blue Jays.”

Despite pushing 50 and battling Graves’ disease, Kartel’s energy was turned to 11 for the entire show. Pumping his knees and bounding down the stage like a one-man parade, he unleashed hits including “Romping Shop,” “It Bend Like Banana” and “Go Go Wine,” the audience gyrating and belting along to every word.

At one point, Kartel became emotional while recounting landing in Toronto earlier in the day.

“I tell you, tears came to my eyes because I’ve never been here before and I know the people want to see me,” he shared.

“I literally cried. Me, a grown-ass man. I said God is the greatest.”

Several attendees said they never thought they’d see the day Kartel performed in Canada.

Daniella Mcleary said she’s been listening to the dancehall star since “before I was old enough to be listening to him,” and scrambled to get tickets when the shows were announced.

“I think everyone that’s Caribbean was trying to get here today. Toronto has such a big Caribbean community, especially Jamaican, so we’re all going to come together and vibe,” she says.

“He could have sold out the Rogers Centre, too, easily.”

Brittney Sinclair, who was born in Jamaica, says Kartel is embedded in Caribbean culture.

“I view him as a national hero, and I think it’s a miracle he’s here today,” she says, noting that it’s all the more remarkable given his time behind bars.

Sharda Persaud says she’s been waiting for Kartel to play Canada for as long as she can remember.

“I feel like every memory in high school goes back to a Kartel song,” she says.

“His music also instantly transports me to Caribana. It’s everything.”

Sherry Singh credits “Romping Shop” for bringing her and her partner together.

“It was playing at a club and it led to some good loving,” she laughs. “15 years later, we’re still grinding to it.”

Still, she believes dancehall has been overlooked by the Canadian mainstream, despite its importance to the Caribbean community.

“To see Vybz here, on our home turf, means a lot,” she says.

“This is a good first step, but we need to see more.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2025

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