Kartel revives The Building

Dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel is set to take fans back to an era of unforgettable nightlife with The Return of the Building, a revival of the iconic club experience celebrated for its pulsating energy, big records and anything-goes atmosphere.

ZJ Chrome remembers The Building for “the energy and the fun it created”. He anticipates the upcoming event will be epic.

The event promises to reopen a door to a period when partying in The Building was not simply about showing up at a club. The energy started before you even reached the entrance. Inside, dancehall, hip-hop and pop collided, with DJs taking patrons from one hit to the next.

The Building traces its roots to Asylum, the 69 Knutsford Boulevard, New Kingston nightclub that was later rebranded under the ownership and management of businessman Corey Todd, with Vybz Kartel becoming a partner. The venue emerged as The Building around 2009 and drew crowds with its high-energy dancehall parties and celebrity-filled nights. After Kartel and Todd parted ways in 2011, The Building closed and was subsequently reopened by Todd as Club Riddim.

The venue’s story took another turn in 2013, when cricketer Chris Gayle transformed the space at 69 Knutsford Boulevard into Triple Century Sports Bar, creating a new entertainment hotspot where Club Riddim had stood.

The organisers of Saturday night’s event says it is a chance to relive the nostalgia of an era when The Building was a major fixture of Jamaica’s nightlife, this time with Kartel back on stage and ready to recreate some of the energy that made the venue legendary.

Str8 Vybz has been listed as the official rum of the event. It’s brand manager, Chieftin Campbell, said the event represents more than just another entertainment event.

“The original Building was an important part of Jamaica’s nightlife and dancehall culture, and its return creates an opportunity to celebrate that history, while introducing it to a new generation,” Campbell said.

For Mitchell, having Str8 Vybz as a partner was a no-brainer.

“Str8 Vybz embodies everything Vybz Kartel. It is premium, it is in high demand, and it represents dancehall. So, it has to be the main sponsor of his event,” Mitchell said.

The rum brand was launched by Kartel in November 2024 in collaboration with Angostura, which manufactures and bottles the product and serves as its global distributor.