Vybz Kartel Skin Bleaching Controversy

Vybz Kartel who is mainly famous for his hot dancehall songs that are often played in Caribbean nightclubs – but now he is making headlines for another reason.

The well loved Jamaican dancehall artist recently did a lengthy interview where he revealed that he is proud to be bleaching his skin like former baseball player Sammy Sosa.

During an interview with a local TV network Kartel explained that he decided to lightened his skin in order to change his image and shocked his fans by adding that if white people can tan, black people should have the right to change their skin tone.

Kartel said in the interview:

“This is my new image.You can expect the unexpected. I feel comfortable with black people lightening their skin. They want a different look. It’s tantamount to white people getting a sun tan.”


You can watch the entire disturbing interview below.

What are your thoughts on skin bleaching?

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This Post Has 164 Comments

  1. What the hell is wrong with him. from long time nuff ja artist a dis mon dat bleach dem skin…And when did gold braces become a gold grill. I have had dem for 2 years and they are not a fashion…..long time dings in bermy…….LOL

  2. Just because we can lighten our skin, doesn’t mean we should. White people tan because brown looks better. I hope the lightening thing wears off like the tan!

  3. His face. Worry about your own. His choice. Women, men wear wigs, extentions, change facial structure of everything on their bodies. It is still a change not natural. Stop the evil. My skin is blotchy and I am going to bleach my skin and send a before and after to the one I use, and hope it lands me some money for public marketing.

  4. He has lost his mind. People liked he the way he was. Now, he looks like Vampire Lestat. I can’t that.

  5. He looks like a zombie. White persons don’t permanently tan their skins. He’s a cokehead anyway.

  6. This is so ridiculous…..but since u wanna bleach, y udidn bleach your lip too….damn ashy lookin thing! lol

  7. OK so if you look at his hand, you can see that his pigment is pink and brown. He has that disorder where the skin starts to get pink. So, obviously he bleached the skin so it would all be one color.

  8. you did ugly already a now you done all the cake soap and bleaching cream in a Jamaica mek you look worst a ugly you sell out your soul to satan and now you really look like satan son you mother suppose to a cry or you already kill her with your ugliness

  9. shit ….f**k……what the hell………….watch how u look like he done dead and burry and rise up again…..he face hard hard and he lips like them been in an ash tray……..watch he eves……he can”t look in a mirror them go break……..thats ugly times ugly divided by a stupid man…………..lord god help him

  10. vybz ….son of b******* waz ma coolewst dude but zombie pice of sh*t….bleaching n fitted m*m

  11. he looks like MICHEAL JACKSON…with black lips, and a fitted on…WTF WAS HE THINKIN? NOW HE LOOKS LIKE SH*T, AND HIS ALBUM WILL DEFINATELY DROP CUZ OF THIS SH*T! EWWWWWWWWW

  12. I am appalled and shocked that someone as talented and successful as Vybz would resort to such lowly self hating behavior as skin bleaching. I believe such behavior speaks to much deeper issues. I will not attempt to analize his underlying motive, bvut one thing is for sure, it speaks to something way deeper, darker and sinister.

    Having said that, my bigger concern is the impact this will have on the younger individuals who may have seen him as a role model. It almost seem as if our once morally robust country, Jamaica and our once morally conscious Jamaican youths are in a state of serious moral decline.
    Are we been conditioned by self hating and self destructive messages from dancehall music???

  13. Self-hatred!!! I can’t even support u anymore!!! I’m dark and beautiful and lovin it!!! Now u done created ur own hell to live in!!! Well Kartel, enjoy ur misery being white!!!

  14. I dont get it… from the video he cleared it all up and said that he WASN’T bleaching nor taking a pill and that he doesnt have anything against people who bleach their skin. Am I watching the wrong video here???

  15. If he wants to go lighter he can go hard. Its his life and he can do what he wants to it. I’m always gonna love his music it shouldn’t matter that he is getting lighter or what not as long as he still keeps being who he wants to be and keeps bringing out hot tracks… So people stop hating it aint your life to live!

  16. Hope him memba fe bleach him ting a ling, him ball bags and him battam Cause dis is the blackest part of a true black man and it never change.

    Damn fool man, damn fool man.

  17. Soooooo sad …what happened to the darker the berry the sweeter the juice? He looks sour now!

  18. As a young dark skin black girl, I grew up with low self-esteem because of people like Vybz. I had a grandmother who believed dark skin was ugly. It has taken a long time to overcome this issue and it disgusts me that even today, it’s still so prevalent. God made us in his own image. Not everyone is supposed to be white, or light skin. He made us all different shapes, sizes and colours. You bleaching is an insult to God. Bleaching is not similar to a tan. Once a white person stops tanning, there skin goes back!, Bleaching is permanent. Not to mention the health concerns. Vybz was good looking with dark skin, but now he looks like a ghost and he’s ugly. I’m going to pray for him cause thats what he needs the most, God. I’m boycotting his music , and I urge people to stop listening to him too. He’s posioning all of us, especially our youth.

  19. vybz ur a fool. ur a disgrace to the black race. black is BEAUTIFUL all day…..i love my black skin i wud neva change it lighter….thats really an insult to me my black people n ur ancestors for godsake…wat the fuk u thinking yo…kunta kinte shakin his fukin head…(smh)

  20. This dude is so dumb. In this day & age people still have a problem with skin color. And anyone who supports this sh*t is dumb too.

  21. Why people think him nuh like himself….I think he loves himself and is doing whatever he can do to make himself look and feel better…..at least in his eyes, more power to him power to him….

    Mind unnu business, if you choose not to bleach yaye for you but don’t condem him because he has choosen to do whatever he pleases to his own body….I actually thinks he looks better now, that’s not a good picture of him.

  22. Maybe the fact that I was born light-skinned is also an insult to the black people….Clearly someone in my family was creeping with the master….

    What does that say about my ancestor’s, were they forced to sleep with white men or did they do it willing cause they had issues with the black man complexsion….stop making a mountain out of a hill.

  23. i just think what he did was stupid i hope that he is reading this so he can read what a bib idiot peopke bthink he is telling people about thier difamaties then made one for him self to u i wash you off wanna be micheal jackson

  24. He z an adult,if he fil he wants no mo di blk skin then go ahead n do ur own ting,di bleaching ting doez nt mk mi hate u infact am deep in luv wid u n i wil alwz luv his music!

  25. Damn me poor likkle bwoy karkel.uno luk gud.is dis hw yu ron tingz pon de gaza.yu suck my bwoy.

  26. Ok, truth be told, Vybz didn’t do the smartest thing by bleaching his skin. The fact remains that it was his choice. People do things for certain reasons, but it doesn’t mean that it has to make sense to everyone else. When I read some of the previous comment, I realised how judgemental some people out there really are! It disturbs me that you can rant and rave about a choice he’s made, but you all have your personal tribulations. People, live and let live! His music hasn’t changed because of his appearance. Musically, he is still the Kartel, but with a different appearance.

  27. u look like a dead man but u r a shame to close ur eyes u r crazy kartel u were so famous but not anymore duhhhhhhhh

  28. u look better black now u wite u look like kartel vbzy me right this comment to tel u me narbleach better u stop sing u look dead u gone from bad to worst look at u movado bettrt looking than yo u nar from kingtown jamaica because jamaca people.

  29. What he does is his business..look at michael, latoya, janet, lil kim, niki minaj, and half of the actors and singers out there they all have some type of surgery and changed their look..so people should just worry about themselves and leave the man alone

  30. I tink vybz a p*sy.mi a ser gullygod luk btr thn dis teacha frm gaza.i hev neva liked him.mavado ar di king.big up Flexx.f**k da bleacha bwoy,i dnt want 2 see him in our zimbabwe.

  31. Him skin aint make no music him heart n mind makes the music bt him skin tells a lot. U fi chose bad tings man, nuh me thot.

  32. Respect Jah Temple. Black is beauty. U luk horrible/dead. Vibez u r losin taste n image 2 ua fans. wat’s dis?

  33. Vybz u did wrng and if u think u luk btful now i dnt thnk so….Haha and u luk lyk aghot…(smh)

  34. And did russian told u to do that…even if u bleach u wnt luk lyk even closer to 2 him…u r a disgust 2 the black ppl..and the fact is u will always remain madafakin black ass niga

  35. Al the respect 4 this dude is gone, u let down gaza, i pray that mavado does not have such a small brain and low self-esteem.

  36. Am a big fan of u live in The Gambia…Vybes Kartel…i think u were nt with your senses when u were doing that damn fu*kin thing….so called bleach…Black for life…born to be naturally black…Kartel lov u still

  37. Wamstar imma on the same page as you….Thought there was only one “GOD” but these people on here seem to think they are….

    He did say who nuh like it fi guh “F**k demself! some these comments are so stupid,

  38. To hell with some of the people it’s his skin so he can do what ever he want y u all don’t go and make comments on them big celebrities like beyonce and the rest them who do surgey.i luv him gaza me say

  39. f^ck u kartel … i thought black was beauty… it nuh fit everyone… a now mi know seh u a eydaaat….poor thing

  40. boy kartel u mean u go doun that road boy that na look good boy u need 2 get back black so u born so 2 stay

  41. whats so cool about white skin in wish we blck pple wud just know how we have a super skin free from skin concer

  42. Adidja palmer(vybes kartel).mi tel u gangster nah bleach.u a letng urself down.al ur fans a complaining.love ur colour as ablack.

  43. Yo ima white guy…an even i tink kartel go too far..dis man come at mi in dark alley id b scared shitless..zombie kartel..an eryone say oh niki minaj have surgery michael jackson have surgery so who cares…but we gotta draw line and thin 4 ourself u know..dont use other ppl as excuse to do sumtin they do,,dis not rite….kartel lips look like the pu**y of old lady, so dry

  44. he is such an a*s he used to be my favourite artise .now he wants to be like micheal jackson

  45. For all who supporting VC, get help. Love urself, what r u teaching ur children about loving themselves. I am embarrass 4 my my people who giving more power to whites. They should create rehabs for bleachers…they need psychlogical help! He now look like a corpse.

  46. Michael Jackson had vitiligo all over his body so he had to make a choice whether to risk his fame by remaining a “spotted superstar” or to blend it all in. So we cant compare Vybz to Michael in this situation at all. Vybz is brilliant and you better believe he forseen this comments coming and took the risk of loosing fans, but if anyone knows the real Grindsman [ 😉 ] HIM NAH GIVE A RASCLAT! gaza mi seh

  47. Kartel u have brot disgrace to black pple.u dont luk gud.blak lyk a tar is da colour n u affi be proud a it.

  48. mi think yo did a stupid thing, u was perfect the way u was bt at da end of the day its ur life and bodi and yuh can do watva yuh want da do with it…..stil love yuh…biggg fan……

  49. shocking Vybz!!! An utter disgrace to the Black people in Jamaica and world wide. Its a tragedy, the saddest thing is, Vybz Kartel despite his money and fame will probabl never see it . . .

  50. well bleach or no bleach a still mi artist, anuh him body did did love a him songs, hes a dam good artist an most of the other artist neva like dat frm mawnin an now a night, dem jus glad fi di oppertunity now fi waa diss the boss,him waa bleach a fi him bizniz, him waa bore him tongue a still fi him bizniz, it doest mean dat choo him dweet we fi dweet to,an mi certain seh him naw sing seh everybody fi dweet to….. but a one thing mi seh GAZA FI LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! bitches!!

  51. di mun eh see pll go kicks off on dat more dan buy di blue bommer soap plus di mun
    looking like a antichrist,after u currupt all di ghetto yute make violent war tune
    in dancehall music make all artist beef,u sell out ur structure and foundation dat make u a role model as a mun sell out all ur tune so how u go recover from dat u eh see dem ting der dat dead micheal u ready for all dat pressure from de media u real confident if is dat i wish u luck but in a sense u trying an hide from all dem f**k up tune u make di system hate so u just figure u ca make it wit locks so u go ball head!
    U ca beat em join em,but dem bleaching ting der causing de public alot of pyschological brain damage to de brain der just like if u had a MF sex change kartel dem ting der u do real shock me and dat have me thinking bout dat fi 2 days now.dat is de sickest publicity stunt ever u need a world record,u`s a genius…but still F++kin but still mentaly unstable.

  52. Kartel disappoint me. He needs to understand that white people dont get a sun tan cause they want to look black.

  53. Kartel a bleach so what? Most black man want a browning woman, because most of them don’t like their complexion, and they don’t like their black mother or black father. If you look into Jamaica right now, most darker skin people are shun from society, especially dark skin women, which are consider ugly. The Jamaica Gleaner doesn’t put dark skin women in their paper, unless it’s something bad they are doing or they are begging. Jamaica should scrap black history month, because 90% of Jamaican feel bad about their dark skin, just because of how society treat them. Kartel getting a little lighter should not raise any eye brow, this is life. A black man doesn’t not feel complete without a light skin woman. Scrap black history month, rubbish.

  54. Kartel a bleach so what? Most black man want a browning woman, because most of them don’t like their complexion, and they don’t like their black mother or black father. If you look into Jamaica right now, most darker skin people are shun from society, especially dark skin women, which are consider ugly. The Jamaica Gleaner doesn’t put dark skin women in their paper, unless it’s something bad they are doing or they are begging. Jamaica should scrap black history month, because 90% of Jamaican feel bad about their dark skin, just because of how society treat them. Kartel getting a little lighter should not raise any eye brow, this is life. A black man doesn’t not feel complete without a light skin woman. Scrap black history month, rubbish.

  55. Iman nah support people who deny da natural look of demself. Black people who cook dem skin wit chemical poison & dem whitey dat cook dem skin fi look black. “Jah make ya perfect so nah judge yaself” Queen Ifrica “Mi Nah Rub”.

  56. Jamaica is suffering mental slavery. I we don’t love ourselves, who will? No wonder why Jamaica mash up.

  57. EVERYBODY JUS SHUT THE HELL UP VYBES KARTEL IS A CONTROVERSAL ARTIST HE AH BIG MAN HE MAKE HIS BIG MONEY DIS IS NOT NOBODY BIZ IF DE MAN BLEACH.DAH IS MY MY FAVOURITE JAMAICAN ARTIST HE CAN TURN PURPLE ME NAH CARE MI LOVE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!! GAZA 2 D WORLD!

  58. I use to like Gaza. After this mi nuh like the bleach boy them nuh more. Black is beautyful. That why we fight each other, we don’t like blackness. Poor thing.

  59. uno lef d man, if him wnt BLEACH, mek im BLEACH…
    When M.J transform overnite from black to white the hole a uno love him off still…….Haters get lost

  60. O my goodness… I am so disgusted at what I am seeing… so what race are u now… becuz ur are not a black man and no white person would recognize u as white… you are in a dilemma mi lad…

  61. On the image you can see on is face he is say in is mind I want to be black again. But once you go white you can’t go black.Now gaza is now fraza because of fagesha pamer

  62. am from kenya n me love kartel to death. got no problems wit him bleachn his face so long as he does his thing. AAAAAH! AWOOOH! HIM NA GOOD ARTIST

  63. Anyone that agrees with that move, is totally brain washed…
    wigs——due to lack of hair or to dress up
    make up—— for showmanship ie. clowns
    tan——-lack of vitamin d (sun), from cave dwelling people (white) years and years,
    although bacame a fad/ tanning, darkning up ect, would be thier natural color anyway gettin than vitamin d.

    BLACK MAN TURN BROWNING ———- NO CLUE WHY..

    Mr. Palmer Check yourself…

  64. U such a f**ckin a&*hole.mi never liked u 1 bit this bleachn ting only makes me hate yo more.u f**ckn crazy!just a walkn corpse.u shldve learnt by now black is beauty.

  65. Mi feel dat applyin cake soap iz nt appropiate thou kartel iz ma favourite artist.We should keep natural

  66. no man, that nah rite…kartel cool out nah man…u need fa realize that u have the power to influence the youth them…u fa mek better choices man…real thing son

  67. as an individual you “do you” at the end of the day its all about what makes you happy…unu low de blood claat man mek him live him life…..a fe him skin ….

  68. It is a shame you was accepted when you was black so why you felt you had to do this puzzles me. People say being light skined will get you jobs and acceptance it is bul—t. Now you ave messed with yourself there is no turning back you say you bleached so your tattoos coud show up they look rediculous you look a mess and you will never be yourself again. Black people seem to allways get lost when they accumilate a few dollars and then wonder why we dont get taken seriously.

  69. he selll out him blloclaad soul fi di illuminati
    thats why he bleaced and now tjey wanna send a meesage to al black people thats is good to make yourself white
    they tru takin over true dancehall

    BLOOODDDDDDDDDDDDCLAAADDD ILLUMINATTI
    GUNSHOT VYBZ KRTEL

  70. Kartal i love your music but bwoy sa, you should of never bleached. U already have acceptance from all nations there iz no need for the bleaching. I do hope you will stop now

  71. Kartel thats just weird can’t even imagine how you feel,i think fame has changed you wasn’t expecting samthng lyk that from u,its ur lyk

  72. vybz kartel d look gud just how he was before not now he look like a ghost, if i see him in d night a might run fuh mi life. he should’t do dat man a lost mi respect for him now..

  73. This is disturbing. In Black History Month when we should be celebrating everything that is good and beautiful about us. People who support these trash should suffer the consequences. Business people who support these kinds of negative role models should not be supported. What about this guy is intelligent? Do you know an intelligent person who behaves like him? Why isn’t the government doing anything to smother his negative influence?

  74. Ok kARTEL I AM YOUR NUMBER 1 FAN aka (half breed katel)
    I am upst with him because of this Bleaching, He was a dark cholate goodness now he looks like a tan Zombie i’m dissapointed please don’t be like Michael Jackson and the other skin bleachers.
    KATEL TELL ME HOW DO YOU THINK GOD FEELS WHEN YOU DO THINGS LIKE THIS, YOU WERE MAKE IN HIS IMAGE AND LIKENESS NOW sTOP THE Bleaching and give us back Dark chocolate Katel, just looking at your complexion make a lot of women have to change there undies.
    Please don’t get CAUGHT UP

  75. kARTEL IM DISAPPOINTED, PLEASE YOU INSULTING GOD THAT PUT YOU WHERE YOU AT U LOVE YOUR FANS RECONSIDER BECAUSE YOUR JAMAICAN PEOPLE WHO PUT YOU THERE WILL HELP BRING YOU DOWN IF YOU BECOME IGNORANT
    YOU SUPPOSE TO BE DE TEACHA ACT THE PART
    WHITE PEOPLE ENCOURAGE YOU TO LIGHTEN UP BECAUSE THE ARE JEALOUS THATS WHY THE TAN TO BE LIKE YOU
    NOW THEY HAVE TAKEN OUT 1 OF OUR SEXIEST BLACK MEN TAKE A LOOK AT BENNIE, BUJU & BERES THEY HAVEN’T FORGOTTON THERE TRUE GOAL AND HOW THEY WERE BORN WE WANT YOU BE AROUND LONGER, DON’T GIVE WAY TO STUPID THINGS IN YOUR LIFE
    LOVE YA STILL BUT A TIME OUT FOR YOU IS NEEDED

  76. KARTEL….. you are so UGLY!!!!! OMG!!!. I CAN SAY THIS WITHOUT ANY REMORSE.
    YOU ARE A UGLY SHIT COLOURED, ZOMBIE LOOKING, ASHY LIP, LONG TEETH
    BRACES WEARING, SKELETON LOOKING PIECE OF SHIT. HOW IRONIC, YOU
    WANTED TO BECOME WHITE BUT INSTEAD YOU’VE GAINED A SHIT LOOKING COMPLEXION WHICH NOBODY ELSE HAS. IF YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED…. YOU ARE
    GOING STRAIGHT TO HELL. I HATE WHAT YOU STAND FOR, AND THAT IS DESTRUCTION OF NOT ONLY THE SPIRIT BUT THE FLESH.

  77. mi hate u from morning u fava like when crab a teed an when dead a raton u did look beta when u neva did a bleach

  78. That is not bleaching…he is ill…if not physically then mentally! But he got some disease maybe the MONSTER

  79. cool lyk mi wash mi face wid d cake soap…. him look lyk a living, walking duppy… kartel yuh sell out yuh face….

  80. Everyone has a choice to make their own decisions, although I may not agree doesn’t mean I should judge, no one is perfect and unfortunately some people get lost along the way. I honestly just feel sorry for him and his fans, I am no longer one.

  81. IM SO DISAPPOINTED IN VYBZ, UR SELF ESTEEM IS SO LOW THAT U HATE URSELF. TO MANY PEOPLE OUT HERE TRYING TO BE SOMETHING THEY ARE NOT, AND THE SAD THING ABOUT IT IS THAT VYBZ LOOKED MUCH BETTER WITH HIS DARK SKIN NOW HE LOOK LIKE A SICK PERSON AND IS EXTREMELY UGLY. PEOPLE WAKE THE FU*K UP AND START LOVING URSELF.

  82. ooh!no,kartel av been yur no one fan man.dont dissapoint us by doing such stupid dingz man u know gaza one family man!!!

  83. well well well mr. kartel…….i think u really got the attention i think u were so desparetly craving…….its just really sad to see….i mean u really look like a walking dead man…and ur reason for this was just utterly rididculous…….SMH!!!

  84. Are you guys serious? You no longer like him because he wanted to lighten his OWN skin, you guys are a foolish bunch of internet freaks. * hatin cause vybz loves our “light skinned” complexion …. Its not like he doesn’t like his culture, for f**** sakes… He’s a jamacian rapper.

    Keep doing your thing vybz, your one of my favorite artists.

    Haters.. Stay on your mutha fuc*in J-O-B-S

  85. & ps. Don’t call me racist. I’m half black myself, and I love the jamacian culture.. But I do feel like ya’ll should support your guy, reguardless of what he looks like. Where I’m from,… We’d love to have someone so full of talent rep our city!

  86. Hez so down n low due 2 tha bleachn tho hiz sang n tha nu album Pondi Gaza rocks Awuooooooh!!!!

  87. to be honest he should go get back his pigment he looks liek the crypt keeper from tale s from the crypt

  88. This goes a little deeper than him bleaching his skin. He seems to have a problem with looking at his black skin in the mirror. I myself is not a person that listens to reggae music and I don’t have a problem with it. But when you make a big change like breaching your skin, or getting sex change operation, or getting breast implants , or even butt injections. Etc……it says a lot about what we as humans are willing to do to our bodies for the sake of attention. I pray he get help. Sometimes speaking with a psychiatrist is helpful. Self mutilation is a sickness.

  89. I dont think bleaching is wrong!…He’s just using it to clear up his skin!…I do it too!

  90. i tink everyone is free 2 do wha eva them feel like doin but sumtimes ppl jus ova do it but i still luv him though!!!!!!!!

  91. Everyone has the rightz to do as they plz if that’s wat vybz wanna do then I dnt think it should be a problem everyone,s doing it y can’t he!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  92. worry bout kartel him pocket loaded sum ah unno ah chat sh!t n nah have ah dime, in this life everybody is doing something some ah the girls perm dem nappy head fi make it straight y unno nah stop. the guys are using penis enhancer and stuff to make them go longer in bed unno nah complain backside ease up the man n let him breathe. some of u who only sit and judge people ent no better ah chat bout the man ugly n some of unno look like some bloodclat sea creature gweh. addi mi daddy u ah the boss from a real fan……

  93. NO MATTER WHAT I WILL ALWAYS BE A KARTEL FAN WHO NAH LIKE IT CAN SUCK DAH MOTHA HIS SKIN HIS MONEY AND HIS LIFE NO ONE WOULD WANT OTHER PEOPLE TO TELL THEM HOW TO LIVE IT SO WHY TELL THEM BOUT IT I MOST SAY I DONT LIKE IT BUT WHAT CAN SAY ITS HIS LIFE AND I LIKE HIM CAUSE HE DO WHATEVER HE LIKE NOMTTHER WHAT PEOPLE SAY SO KARTEL DO YOU GAZA MI SAY AWOH

  94. oooooooooooo my god yy he did that toh him self he look much better before he bleach his self hmm but are still love his songs empire for life

  95. a gaza mi seh a one life the man have fi live an the man a live it aha ha !!!!!!!!

  96. vybz kartel look kinda good ,he should”t have bleach;he look like a genius now.

  97. I must say that I still love his music but I dont agree wit da bleachin, Im a beautiful dark skinned sista & proud of my color & nappy hair..

  98. illuminati made him bleach his face just like dey did 2 micheal jackson dats why he sings songs.

  99. Yooww!!! Teacha a mi artist inuh but mi lose off a him star,di man look like a fucking dead !!!!! but a gaza for eve still nyah change or switch …..Gaza to di fucking Universe

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