Kartel cartoon video a hit

In just over a week of release on the Internet site YouTube, an animated video for one of Vybz Kartel's songs has already racked up close to 100,000 views.

The animated video was done for his single Pon Time for the London-based Orange Hill Productions.

Dancehall producer and former BBC 1 Xtra radio host Ras Kwame, who spoke on behalf of Orange Hill, said that the song is getting a positive global reception hence the decision to create an animated music video.

"We decided to do a video for the song because we felt it deserved to be visualised as we create productions with a visual identity. Orange Hill did the full spectrum of production as a team. A director member of our team called Steelburger directed it and at one point we had six individual animators working on it.

We try to be ground breakers in what we do and put together the first CG Animated dancehall video using the very latest technology," Kwame said. The incarceration of Kartel, he said, leads them towards the concept of the video. "The concept of the video came due to the fact that the artiste we collaborated with was unable to be physically present," Kwame explained.

'James Kartel'

He explained that the concept presented Kartel in a computer game setting, complete with a lady friend as his companion, where he plays the hero and evades attacks from ninjas. Kwame said; "Basically forget James Bond for a sec, it could be starring 'James Kartel' for the movie."Since its premiere on YouTube.com on July 30, the video has received over 98,000 views and Kwame says that Kartel's fans are loving the end product.

"The fans around the world have been sending us a lot of shout-outs and big-ups on Twitter and Facebook for delivering a hot Kartel record and doing something hot with advanced technology for the video. We intend to push this far and wide globally and achieve good chart positions," he said.

Orange Hill Productions, Ras Kwame and Jr Tubby are currently in the studio putting the finishing touches to their debut album the ElectroBashy due in November 2012. It includes collaborations with I-Octane, Mr Lexx, RDX, Ce'Cile, Lady Saw, Antwain, Seanizzle and Christopher Martin among others. The album will also feature UK artistes such as Wiley, Kano and Tinie Tempa.

(from Jamaica Star)