Hardcore and innovative aptly describe the persona of the artiste known as … Read Full Bio ↴Hardcore and innovative aptly describe the persona of the artiste known as Aidonia. When scanning through radio stations it is impossible not to hear his songs. The ladies adore him and men give high ratings to the lyrical flow of Aidonia aka lyrical king.

Born Sheldon Lawrence in1981, he is the second of four children for his mother a teacher and his father an ex-soldier. His close-knit family instilled in him his morals and values and from his friends he gained street knowledge. He attended Mona Heights Primary then moved on to Meadowbrook High School where his love for music began.

After watching a tape of Sting 1993 with the infamous clash between Beenie Man and his icon Bounty Killer his mind was set on becoming a deejay.

When he returned to school after that Christmas break he began re-enacting the clash for schoolmates and friends who immediately recognised his talent. Soon after he began writing his own lyrics and formed the J.A.G 1 (Jah A Guide) crew with friends. Jag 1 or J.O.P. (Jag One Productions) were often referred to when performing at school concerts and fetes.

A few years after leaving high school, Aidonia met Mr. G (then known as Goofy) and shortly after recorded his first single Many a Dem in October 2003. Shortly after he began working with Rod Pinnock of Orizen Entertainment. In early 2004, he became a popular performer at a weekly event called Battle Thursdays where he got some recognition and also had an opportunity to work on his performance skills.

Aidonia credits Mr. Pinnock for introducing him to the business aspect of the music industry by giving him the Business of Music book to read. This taught him that for an artiste, music is not only about recording and performing, but that the business aspect is also very important.

In the latter part of 2004 Aidonia was approached by Cordell 'Skatta' Burrell who invited him to record at his studio. He later became associated with Gangbang Entertainment and throughout this period worked with Skatta and other producers. Several popular songs such as Prayer, Inna Di Ghetto, Eagle, and his chart making hit Lolly were recorded.

More recent singles include Chickenhead on the Galore riddim, Bookam on the Billbak riddim, Reload on the Redbull & Guinness riddim and Kingfish and Unknown Assailant on the Stick-Up riddim. Aidonia fulfilled one of his goals of working with Bounty Killer when he recorded Sen Fi Dem. He has been making a number of appearances with Killer since that time. One of his current singles Ooku has been pulled from the airwaves pending investigation by the Broadcasting Commission

Aidonia has performed throughout the island at popular shows at UWI and UTech, Chancellor Hall's Spectrum, Eclipse Pool Party, Lady Saw's Birthday Bash, Champions In Action, Spring Break in Negril, Fully Loaded, ATI 2006 and Sting 2K5 to name a few. Though a newcomer, he was a confirmed act at Reggae Sunsplash and Sumfest that both took place this summer.

There are no limitations on where he plans to take his career. Aidonia plans to develop himself as an artiste and keep putting in hard work in order to reap the benefits. He would like to work with producers such as Dave Kelly, Steelie & Clevie and Sly & Robbie and other dancehall artistes such as Shabba Ranks, Sizzla, Baby Cham, Vybz Kartel and Buju Banton, In the next five years he hopes to produce an internationally acclaimed album.

"I want to take dancehall music to the level that Bob Marley took reggae," says Aidonia.

Tell Me
Aidonia Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So tell dem
We nuh play with fool
Buss of dem head with di favorite tool
Clap it pon rapeat
Di K wah cool
Clap it up again
Di K can't cool
So tell dem
We nuh play with fool
Buss of dem head with di favorite tool
Clap it pon rapeat
Di K can't cool,
Clap it up again
Buss dem up
Rifle ah wave like a flag anytime me prowl the street
Hear say somebady dead
You know ah size 10, tool or foley dweet
How fi dweet, mek shot bite dem like
Me dog weh name Crowley teeth,
How fi dweet, kill dem dump body mek it rotten
And stink like a moldy sheet
No retreat, pon me toe me sneak
See di Pussyy dem and ah four me beat
One ah try run and can't move
When him see di glock
Inna me hand, him catch coldy feet
Friend ah try save him life and ah chuck and ah dive one side
Like ah goalie feet
Bullet tear off Corey cheek
Him go the funeral and go throw the wreath
Body gone down six storey deep
Tek dem yah fi mek yuh soul fi sleep
Outta the mouth ah me gun mek shot come
Tip weh hollow release
Clap it inna face so when the blood pour me seet
Body inna street johncrow fi see it
War victory sweet
Please, give jah your soul fi keep
Before you gone dead
Tell dem
We nuh play with fool
Buss of dem head with di favorite tool
Clap it pon rapeat
Di K wah cool
Clap it up again
K can't cool
So tell dem
We nuh play with fool
Buss of dem head with di favorite tool
Clap it pon rapeat
Di K can't cool
Clap it up again
Ey, Stephen
We nuh buss one pop,
Glock 21 cock and clap
Di bwoy get one shot, the one weh icon shot
Get a A1 shot and drop front ah miss pam shop
Bright light get di funeral contract
Glass casket hitch up pon the van back
Everybody dress up inna dem damn black
Down to the little youth inna Yvonne lap
One bag ah long talking preacher man chat
Inna di funeral bear teacher and cop
Say the youth was seen in the street and shot
Pon him bear machine been ah beat and knock
Call the spy dem weh ah peep and watch
And ah look fi giv di damn police contact
Look like him drop outta the tree from top
When him get head shot ye three pon spot
Tell, tell, tell
Tell dem
We nuh play with fool
Buss of dem head with di favorite tool
Clap it pon rapeat
Di K wah cool
Clap it up again
K can't cool
So tell dem
We nuh play with fool
Buss of dem head with di favorite tool
Clap it pon rapeat
Di K can't cool
Clap it up again
Tell, tell, tell
Tell dem
We nuh play with fool
Buss of dem head with di favorite tool
Clap it pon rapeat
Di K wah cool
Clap it up again
K can't cool
So tell dem
We nuh play with fool
Buss of dem head with di favorite tool
Clap it pon rapeat

Di K can't cool
Clap it up again

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Aidonia's song "Tell Me" depict his gangster lifestyle and his willingness to use violence to achieve his goals. The first verse explains how he deals with people who talk tough but do not follow through. He describes how he uses his gun, referred to as his "favorite tool," to shoot and kill those who cross him or his gang. The second verse talks about how he sneaks up on his enemies and kills them, making sure their bodies are never found. He also mentions how he enjoys the feeling of victory after a successful murder.

The chorus repeats the phrase "We nuh play with fool," which means that Aidonia and his gang do not tolerate anyone who disrespects them or their authority. He emphasizes his point by saying that he will use his gun to kill anyone who dares to test him or his crew.

Overall, the lyrics to "Tell Me" glorify violence and create a dangerous image of Aidonia as a ruthless gangster who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Line by Line Meaning

Some bwoy, Dem nuh bad dem just ah talk, yea, yea Dem just ah talk Mek the burna burn dem like Usher talk When the big old iron with the rust ah bark Shot buss him belly him cut ah fart Him face bust like a bus ah park and crush a cork Way shot bite him up dem say ah must a shark So tell dem
There are some guys out there who talk a lot but are not actually brave enough to do anything. They just talk but they get burned like Usher does when he sings. The big old iron guns with the rust make a loud noise and it causes them to either cut farts or their faces get injured. When they get shot it looks like a shark has bitten them. So, I'm telling them that they aren't good enough.

We nuh play with fool Buss of dem head with di favorite tool Clap it pon rapeat Di K wah cool Clap it up again Di K can't cool So tell dem
I don't mess around with fools. I shoot them in the head with my favorite gun. I do it repeatedly, and even though it gets hot, I won't stop until they are defeated. I'm telling all of this to them.

Rifle ah wave like a flag anytime me prowl the street Hear say somebady dead You know ah size 10, tool or foley dweet How fi dweet, mek shot bite dem like Me dog weh name Crowley teeth, How fi dweet, kill dem dump body mek it rotten And stink like a moldy sheet No retreat, pon me toe me sneak See di Pussyy dem and ah four me beat One ah try run and can't move When him see di glock Inna me hand, him catch coldy feet Friend ah try save him life and ah chuck and ah dive one side Like ah goalie feet Bullet tear off Corey cheek Him go the funeral and go throw the wreath Body gone down six storey deep Tek dem yah fi mek yuh soul fi sleep Outta the mouth ah me gun mek shot come Tip weh hollow release Clap it inna face so when the blood pour me seet Body inna street johncrow fi see it War victory sweet Please, give jah your soul fi keep Before you gone dead Tell dem
I'm always waving around my rifle like a flag when I'm out in the streets. I heard that somebody died because of me, but it doesn't matter because I killed them with my size 10 gun or machine gun. I do it with such precision that it looks like my dog Crowley bit them. I then dump their bodies somewhere so they can rot and stink up like a moldy sheet. There's no running away from me because I sneak up on them like a cat. When I see them I shoot them, and when they try to run, I won't be stopped. I shoot them in the face and the blood pours out like a river. Their body is lying in the street for everyone to see, and it's a sweet victory for me. However, I still ask God to have mercy on their souls and I'm telling them all about it.

Ey, Stephen We nuh buss one pop, Glock 21 cock and clap Di bwoy get one shot, the one weh icon shot Get a A1 shot and drop front ah miss pam shop Bright light get di funeral contract Glass casket hitch up pon the van back Everybody dress up inna dem damn black Down to the little youth inna Yvonne lap One bag ah long talking preacher man chat Inna di funeral bear teacher and cop Say the youth was seen in the street and shot Pon him bear machine been ah beat and knock Call the spy dem weh ah peep and watch And ah look fi giv di damn police contact Look like him drop outta the tree from top When him get head shot ye three pon spot Tell, tell, tell
Hey Stephen, we don't shoot just one bullet. We use a Glock 21 gun and shoot at them multiple times. The one who claims to be an icon was shot and got the best shot we had. He dropped right in front of Miss Pam's shop. After he died, there was a bright light and they had to plan his funeral. They put his body in a glass casket and it was loaded up on a van. Everybody dressed up in black, even the little kid on Yvonne’s lap. There was a lot of talking from the preacher at the funeral. The bear, the teacher, and the cop were all crying. They claimed that the youth was shot in the street and beaten by a gun. They even called in spies to find the killer and give them the police contact. It looked like he fell out of a tree when he was shot in the head and three people were there to witness it. I'm telling them all about it.

Tell dem We nuh play with fool Buss of dem head with di favorite tool Clap it pon rapeat Di K wah cool Clap it up again K can't cool So tell dem We nuh play with fool Buss of dem head with di favorite tool Clap it pon rapeat Di K can't cool Clap it up again Tell, tell, tell Tell dem We nuh play with fool Buss of dem head with di favorite tool Clap it pon rapeat Di K wah cool Clap it up again K can't cool So tell dem We nuh play with fool Buss of dem head with di favorite tool Clap it pon rapeat Di K can't cool
I'm repeating myself here. I'm telling these people that I'm not playing around anymore. I shoot them in the head with my favorite tool and I keep on doing it over and over again until they are down. The K gun might heat up but it won't cool down. So, I'm telling them once again that I don't play with fools and they should expect me to take them out if they mess with me.

Contributed by Daniel B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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