Isaiah Laing, the seasoned head of Supreme Promotions and founder of the iconic Sting concert, is undeterred by the hype surrounding Vybz Kartel’s "Freedom Street" concert. Despite competing events this Boxing Day, Laing remains confident that there’s room for both spectacles, declaring, “A lot of Jamaicans will be coming for Christmas, and they will want somewhere to go on Boxing Night, and that place will be Sting.” For Laing, the continued success of Sting, a show with deep cultural roots in Jamaica, transcends the rivalry with Kartel, an artist he believes owes much of his career to the legendary stage.

Laing's history with Kartel is layered, shaped by a mix of collaboration and controversy. Recalling the infamous altercation between Kartel and Ninjaman at Sting 2003, Laing proudly recounts how he personally protected Kartel that night. “I put Ninjaman in a hotel room and placed a security guard at his door so he couldn’t leave, I did that to protect Kartel,” Laing reflects. Despite the financial and legal fallout from that night, which cost Laing over $30 million in settlements, he has never held a grudge against the artist. “Kartel knows that ah Sting mek him,” Laing asserts, suggesting that the artist understands the stage’s pivotal role in his rise to fame.

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