Sikka Rymes plays Kartel in new video

Vice-president of the 'Gaza Nation' Sikka Rymes is gaining international attention following his role as the Worl' Boss in XXXTentacion's Royalty music video.

Released last Wednesday, the video is the second trending video on YouTube, and has been viewed more than four million times.

"The feedback from my end is great, everyone from Vybz Kartel to the fans love it and are happy that it's me playing the role of Vybz Kartel in this video," he told THE STAR. "I'm always getting new fans as long as a Gaza, and it's the same experience with this video."

The Damian Fyffe-directed visuals are Jamaican-centric, paying homage to XXXTentacion's Jamaican heritage and also captures some of the island's icons including Bob Marley and Augustus Pablo.

Kartel's verse was shot in his Waterford, St Catherine, hometown, and also highlights the Gaza camp.

"From day one I am fully Gaza so anything that has to do with Vybz Kartel musically, since he is incarcerated at the moment, I am the one who is available to do everything," Rymes said. "From dem do the song and seh dem waan do the video and so forth, yuh done know me a go be the man in the video."

The track also features Ky-Mani Marley and Stefflon Don, and is expected to form part of XXXTentacion's upcoming project, Bad Vibes Forever.

The rapper, whose given name is Jahseh Onfroy, succumbed to injuries on June 18, 2018, following a shooting incident in Florida.

About five months prior to his death, he took to Instagram to share his excitement about the Kartel collab, stating. "Vybz Kartel featuring XXXTentacion, coming soon, lol only the Jamaicans and Hispanics know what I'm talking about!"

This buzz aside, Sikka Rymes is currently promoting his single, Stay Strong, produced by Vybz Kartel Muzik.

The deejay was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes three years ago, and penned the song in honour of people fighting similar battles.

"A lot of people out there facing a lot of illness in the hospital every day and there hasn't really been a song for them so other people can see seh, yow dah person deh a go through something rough too," he said. "People always get the party song and the bagga gun song, so mi decide fi sing something about me. Everybody can stop judge me by the braces pon mi teeth, the clean clothes weh mi wear and can know seh mi a normal person like dem too and different from that mi have an illness weh mi haffi deh pon insulin and mi a try fight it."