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It was a full circle moment for dancehall icon Adidjah 'Vybz Kartel' Palmer, as the entertainer was crowned king of the dancehall at Friday's staging of Reggae Sumfest.

The one-hour celebration saw Kartel perform a suite of some of his biggest hits, starting with MoBay Anthem - a fitting start for the place of his coronation.

He quickly followed it up with songs like My Scheme, Send fi mi Army, and Love Dem as he cemented his return to the Sumfest stage after a more than 13-year absence.

The audience belted out each song as they relived each moment of Kartel's career.

The deejay ended his set with one of his more recent hits God Is the Greatest, closing out the loop that is his legacy.

Following his performance, fellow dancehall veteran and Queen of the Dancehall, Spice, adorned in blue and with her own crown, laid the crown on Kartel's head.

"People, me affi big up Bounty Killa. If a never fi him, me wouldn't deh yah. And me affi big up you the fans, cause you put me here," he told the audience.

He also expressed gratitude to Buju Banton and Ninja Man for the inspirational role they played in his career.

Referring to Beenie Man as the "former king", he acknowledged his role as one of the true icons of the dancehall.

Before his crowning, Kartel had said the coronation on Friday was simply a formality.

"Being crowned officially king of dancehall, that's nice and everything, I've been the king before I went to prison, and the record is ... there to show. That's good and fine, but for me, what really is exciting for me is to perform for Jamaicans," he declared.

Over the years, symbolic crownings have become a tradition at Reggae Sumfest.

In July 2009, Beenie Man was given the symbolic title of King of the Dancehall.

Almost three years later, in 2012, Lady Saw was given the honour of Queen of Dancehall, then in 2022, the matriarchal honour was passed on to Spice, who is the reigning Queen of Dancehall.