VYBZ RUM

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News Article| Vybz Kartel to release Vybz Rum 09-Nov-07 | by K'riqDeejay Vybz Kartel will have his own brand of alcoholic beverage next year under an endorsement deal signed with a company that are the main distributors of the energy drink, Pimp Juice.The product, called Vybz Rum, will be Kartel’s first licensing agreement, and his first major endorsement with a beverage company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.The deal has reportedly been in the works since the summer.“His iconic nature resonates everywhere he goes. Kartel is like the Jay Z of the dancehall music world,” Corey Todd, one of the principal shareholders in the company that will be distributing the rum, told One876Entertainment.com.It is too early to say how the company would market Kartel and this new product line, especially since the alcoholic drink will not be available until the end of November.“We chose Kartel for his diversity and we believe with the right push he could be huge internationally. We also believe he is the future of dancehall. We plan to market the product in various ways not only with dancehall but also hip hop we are in talks with a few hip hop artistes,” Mr. Todd said.He added that the ‘the product is also a premium product that will really speak for itself.”“I think the product will bring attention to dancehall and hopefully influence other artistes to look for other ways to create jobs and other companies for youths like hip hop has done,” Mr. Todd told One876Entertainment.com.For his part, Vybz Kartel is enthusiastic regarding his fir t major endorsement deal with a beverage."This represents a great opportunity for me and for the dancehall community to show Corporate Jamaica that the industry can be taken seriously as a viable economic force because of the influence and power that dancehall wields as an art form in Jamaica. We will be going all out to make Vybz Rum a big success," he said.The Vybz Rum product will be provided in two distinct types: a white rum and a red rum. The white rum is triple distilled and the red rum will be a five year aged product. The product will be available in Jamaica in December in a limited quantity for 2007 and in 2008, and made available in the UK, US and the rest of the Caribbean on a phased basis. Each bottle will be hand numbered for quality control and accounting purposes.