He was born at Kingston's Victoria Jubilee Hospital, and was one of six children. Originally from Waterhouse, Kingston, he was raised in the Waterford district in the community Portmore, Jamaica. Adidja attended Calabar High School in Kingston but was expelled as a teenager. Determined to continue his education, he completed his studies at a tutorial technical school.
He was exposed to a wide variety of music from a tender age by two uncles who were themselves aspiring musicians. Every weekend he was treated to new musical offerings, on his uncle's old component set, ranging from Sam Cooke to country and western ballads to Ninja Man, who became one of his musical heroes.
At 10 his favorites included artists as diverse as Ninja Man, Papa San, Charlie Chaplin, Will Smith and KRS-1, all of whose lyrics he would study word-for-word, performing them later for friends.
He decided he wanted to be a deejay and began writing his own lyrics when he was 11. Eager to flaunt his skills, Adidja and his friends frequented the weekly Gong Talent Show at the Coney Amusement Park on the outskirts of Kingston. To their chagrin, they were always gonged off when they got a chance to perform.
Undeterred by his weekly failure to impress the talent show audience, Adidja decided to hone his skills and concentrate on winning over his own community of Waterford until he was ready for bigger things. With that goal in mind, on weekends he would practise on neighborhood sound systems Soul Signal and Electric Force.
In 1993, Adidja recorded his first single, "Love Fat Woman," for Alvin Reid's One Heart Label under the name Adi Banton, a name he chose in tribute to a role model, Buju Banton. He recorded several more tracks for local producers, perfecting his craft.
In 1996 he and two friends, Mr. Lee and a singer called Escobar, decided to form a group. One night, after watching a movie about Pablo Escobar and his infamous cartel, Adidja came up with a name for his trio: Vibes Cartel.
Vybz Kartel's new role as Killer's protege caught the attention of the public and led to a meteoric career rise, first as a ghost-writer for Bounty, Elephant Man and other members of the Scare Dem Crew, followed by collaborations with Bounty Killer, such as "Gal Clown" and "Girls Like Mine (Liquid Riddim)."
He came into his own with early hits like "Gun Clown," "Guns Like Mine (Trafalga Riddim)," "Badman (Panty Raid Riddim)," "Bus Mi Gun Like Nuttn," "Most High (Mexican Riddim)" and "War Organizer (Clappas Riddim)." He also had a string of successful collaborations with Wayne Marshall, including "New Millennium (Mad Antz Riddim)," "Why (Krazy Riddim)" and "Why Again (Good To Go Riddim)." This unprecedented debut led to Vybz Kartel being crowned 2002 Deejay of the Year at Stone Love's 30th anniversary, a feat unmatched by any new artist in dancehall.
Kartel has--aside from incredible rhymes and subtle, clever pop culture references--a unique lyrical flow all his own. It is to be noted that Kartel rarely does dance "chunes" along the lines of Elephant man or Beenie Man. Nevertheless, he has already had several high-profile collaborations with international hip-hop and pop stars, and is being touted as the next big thing in dancehall.
In terms of singles sold, he has had the second-best year on the 2003 reggae charts, outsold only by Elephant Man, and has released two albums this year for UK label Greensleeves. He was featured twice on the Def Jamaica project, and nominated for Source, VIBE and UK MOBO awards. His MOBO nominations, along with those of Beenie Man, Elephant Man and Sizzla, were subsequently withdrawn over concerns of homophobia, a common issue with dancehall reggae in general.
His video for "New Millennium/Why," with Wayne Marshall, though decidedly low-budget, has seen play on MTV. His underground following is so large that a bootleg version of, in his own words, "a very, very low budget film" made in 2001 has begun circulating. He has two albums, several mixtapes and a prolific library of singles.
In 2005, Vybz and Bountkiller fell out after Vybz preformed a song with Di Angel, Beenie's former girl, "Yuh Know Yuh Baby Father." Vybz walked out of the Alliance. Aidonia also left, because he took Vybz side, falling out with Busy Signal and making the song "Adid A Mi Daddy Who Wa Vex Wan Vex." It was said Vybz took side with Beenie by showing up at his wedding. Vybz said Beenie was his artist and would not and that's as far as it went. Afterwards, he and Movado which led to throwing of words through songs like "Movado di Failla," "Them Start War and Dead" and "Them a Pu@#* Pon di Battle." But this mis happas only made Mr.Palmer express his war side.
Vybz is the head of the territorial gangland in Portmore known as the Gaza and Mavado is the same for the Gully. Due to their feud a physical war arose between people in the two areas. Fans loyal to each artist have taken part as well. Their fan base in the youths has been seen, as entire schools claiming to be Gully or Gaza supporters have been known not just in Jamaica but in other Caribbean countries such as Trinidad to break out into physical war resulting in stabbings and street fights.
Following the 2009 Summit of the Americas the Jamaican government called a meetings between Vybz Kartel and Mavado calling on them to end the war. Since its conclusion both artists have turned away from war songs and focused on different topics, Kartel on women and Mavado on uplifting the people, although both still make songs of all types.
Following differences with record label Greensleeves, Vybz Kartel changed his name to Addi Di Teacha near the end of 2006. All new material he produces will be released under this name. Greensleeves will continue to release his older, unreleased material under the name Vybz Kartel.
He now owns the label Portmore Empire, founded in 2007, on which releases new deejays' music. To clear up why this was done he had an interview with Antony Miller. "If I had join Moffia House, I would be taking side which I said I would not do," he said.
He owns a rum called STREET VYBZ as well as a condom line called DAGGERING.
Recently, he collaborated with artists like D.I. aka Daniel and Di Angel--Beenie man's former wife. But that's another story...
In 2011 Kartel has recently come under fire for bleaching his skin, something that is frowned upon in Jamaican culture and even Kartel spoken against it in past songs. He has come under even more fire for his rumored involvement in devil worship with a satanic group known as the Illuminati, which is known to have other popular musicains such as Jay-Z, Kanye West, Rihanna.
Badman Party 2
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Up to the crime
I told dem, Don, this ain't a Jamaican Labor
Nor the People's National
You know what this is
Badman party, no karate
Me and Shorty rollin' wid di Glock forty
Mi spliff big like walkie talkie
Badman party, me have di Beretta
Calico, Smith & Wesson
Di Teckie little, di Mackie 40
Badman party
Me have Ginelle, Janet, Geneva
Rachel and Rochelle and Reva
And Shorty
Sound a play, gun play
Tune a beat, grain a beat
Chronic inna mi vein a dweet
Guinness inna mi brain a dweet
Gyal a come, main a dweet
Feds a come, lane a dweet
Marrow fly a no plane a dweet
Ak from Spain a beat
Man a tugz pon di street
Desert pon di feet
Desert Eagle inna mi hand
Spliff tail between di teeth
Fat gyal pon di side
Wid di meat underneath
And underneath me send di feet of steel, you seet?
Badman party, no karate
Me and Shorty rollin' wid di Glock forty
Badman party, fly crazy, Guinness corky
Mi spliff big like walkie talkie
Badman party, me have di Beretta
Calico, Smith & Wesson
Di Teckie little, di Mackie 40
Badman party
Me have Ginelle, Janet, Geneva
Rachel and Rochelle and Reva
And Shorty
Well, every man hold a woman and brace
Every gyal whine pon a killer, set pace
Any man weh nah work with it a get chase
Broadboard fi di boy weh a look up inna man face
Moët and Alizé by di case
Guinness and Heineken just in case
Moët run out, we start stout off wi face
Five hundred dollar bag a high grade blow gone a space
Badman party, no karate
Me and Shorty rollin' wid di Glock forty
Badman party, fly crazy, Guinness corky
Mi spliff big like walkie talkie
Badman party, me have di Beretta
Calico, Smith & Wesson
Di Teckie little, di Mackie 40
Badman party
Me have Ginelle, Janet, Geneva
Rachel and Rochelle and Reva
And Shorty
Well, everything is everything
And everybody hype under liquor
But nah gwan maddy maddy
Gyal a call me and me nuh hear, "Addi, Addi"
Dem fi know seh Don Corleone
Me a one sickhead smaddy
When selector drop out di bass
Mek me make haste, replace di pace wid taste
Step up di pace fi wipe dem fff di face
A di Earth, nobody move, nobody hurt
Badman party, no karate
Me and Shorty rollin' wid di Glock forty
Badman party, fly crazy, Guinness corky
Mi spliff big like walkie talkie
Badman party, me have di Beretta
Calico, Smith & Wesson
Di Teckie little, di Mackie 40
Badman party
Me have Ginelle, Janet, Geneva
Rachel and Rochelle and Reva
And Shorty
Sound a play, gun play
Tune a beat, grain a beat
Chronic inna mi vein a dweet
Guinness inna mi brain a dweet
Gyal a come, main a dweet
Feds a come, lane a dweet
Marrow fly a no plane a dweet
Ak from Spain a beat
Man a tugz pon di street
Desert pon di feet
Desert Eagle inna mi hand
Spliff tail between di teeth
Fat gyal pon di side
Wid di meat underneath
And underneath me send di feet of steel, you seet?
Badman party, no karate
Me and Shorty rollin' wid di Glock forty
Badman party, fly crazy, Guinness corky
Mi spliff big like walkie talkie
Badman party, me have di Beretta
Calico, Smith & Wesson
Di Teckie little, di Mackie 40
Badman party
Me have Ginelle, Janet, Geneva
Rachel and Rochelle and Reva
And Shorty
Well, every man hold a woman and brace
Every gyal whine pon a killer, set pace
Any man weh nah work with it a get chase
Broadboard fi di boy weh a look up inna man face
Moët and Alizé by di case
Guinness and Heineken just in case
Moët run out, we start stout off wi face
Five hundred dollar bag a high grade blow gone a space
Badman party, no karate
Me and Shorty rollin' wid di Glock forty
Badman party, fly crazy, Guinness corky
Mi spliff big like walkie talkie
Badman party, me have di Beretta
Calico, Smith & Wesson
Di Teckie little, di Mackie 40
Badman party
Me have Ginelle, Janet, Geneva
Rachel and Rochelle and Reva
And Shorty
The lyrics to Vybz Kartel's song "Badman Party 2" depict a scene of a party where the singer, referred to as a badman, is enjoying himself and showcasing his status and power. The lyrics capture the essence of the dancehall culture and the lifestyle of those involved in the underworld.
In the first paragraph, Vybz Kartel establishes his street credibility by declaring that he surpasses the typical Jamaican political parties in power and influence. He then sets the tone for the rest of the song by proclaiming that the party is meant for badmen like himself. He mentions his association with firearms such as the Glock forty and references his extravagant lifestyle and the women accompanying him.
The second paragraph reflects the atmosphere of the party, with a mention of music playing and the presence of guns. Vybz Kartel adds a touch of his personal habits, such as smoking chronic (marijuana) and consuming Guinness, which affects his state of mind. He continues to boast about his prowess with women, his street knowledge, and the readiness to defend himself with weapons like the Desert Eagle.
The third paragraph emphasizes the partygoers' extravagant lifestyle, with specific mentions of expensive drinks like Moët and Alizé and various high-grade drugs. The aggressive nature of the party is highlighted with references to chasing down individuals who don't comply with the badman lifestyle.
In the fourth and final paragraph, Vybz Kartel addresses the happenings of the party. He points out that, despite the hype and chaos caused by alcohol, he remains unbothered by trivial matters and calls himself "Don Corleone," comparing himself to the infamous Mafia boss. He then shifts the focus to the music, urging everyone to move at a faster pace, possibly with aggressive dancing or an intense atmosphere. He ends by emphasizing that no one should move or get hurt, asserting his dominance and control.
Overall, the lyrics of "Badman Party 2" illustrate the lifestyle and bravado of Vybz Kartel as a representative of the badman culture in Jamaica, showcasing his association with guns, women, drugs, and an extravagant party scene.
Line by Line Meaning
Up 2 Di Time
Engaging in criminal activities indefinitely
Up to the crime
Engaged in various criminal acts
I told dem, Don, this ain't a Jamaican Labor
I informed them that this is not a typical Jamaican work or labor
Nor the People's National
Nor is it related to the political party known as People's National
You know what this is
You understand the nature of this
Badman party, no karate
This party is not about martial arts
Me and Shorty rollin' wid di Glock forty
Shorty and I are armed with Glock forty pistols
Badman party, fly crazy, Guinness corky
This party is wild and energetic, while consuming an excessive amount of Guinness
Mi spliff big like walkie talkie
My marijuana joint is as large as a walkie talkie
Badman party, me have di Beretta
At this party, I possess a Beretta firearm
Calico, Smith & Wesson
As well as a Calico and Smith & Wesson guns
Di Teckie little, di Mackie 40
The party also includes a small Tec-9 and a Mackie 40
Me have Ginelle, Janet, Geneva
I have Ginelle, Janet, and Geneva at the party
Rachel and Rochelle and Reva
Along with Rachel, Rochelle, and Reva
And Shorty
And Shorty, who is also present
Sound a play, gun play
Gunshots are being fired while the music plays
Tune a beat, grain a beat
The music is playing with a rhythmic beat
Chronic inna mi vein a dweet
Marijuana is flowing in my bloodstream
Guinness inna mi brain a dweet
I am heavily intoxicated with Guinness beer
Gyal a come, main a dweet
Women are approaching, enjoying the party
Feds a come, lane a dweet
Law enforcement is arriving, causing chaos
Marrow fly a no plane a dweet
Fear spreads rapidly, not by plane but by word of mouth
Ak from Spain a beat
An AK-47 firearm from Spain is being used
Man a tugz pon di street
Men are asserting their authority on the streets
Desert pon di feet
Desert Eagle guns are being carried
Desert Eagle inna mi hand
A Desert Eagle gun is in my hand
Spliff tail between di teeth
I hold a marijuana joint between my teeth
Fat gyal pon di side
Plus-sized women are present
Wid di meat underneath
With their bodies emphasizing their attractiveness
And underneath me send di feet of steel, you seet?
And beneath my power, I ensure the presence of loyal and strong individuals, do you understand?
Well, every man hold a woman and brace
Every man is embracing and standing close to a woman
Every gyal whine pon a killer, set pace
Every girl is dancing provocatively on a dangerous man, setting the pace
Any man weh nah work with it a get chase
Any man who is not involved in this lifestyle will be pursued
Broadboard fi di boy weh a look up inna man face
It's a warning for boys who challenge or disrespect men
Moët and Alizé by di case
We have a significant quantity of Moët and Alizé
Guinness and Heineken just in case
We also have plenty of Guinness and Heineken as a backup
Moët run out, we start stout off wi face
If Moët runs out, we will switch to stout beer without hesitation
Five hundred dollar bag a high grade blow gone a space
We have premium quality cocaine, which is quite expensive
Well, everything is everything
Everything is as it should be
And everybody hype under liquor
And everyone is excited and energetic due to alcohol consumption
But nah gwan maddy maddy
But we are not acting chaotically
Gyal a call me and me nuh hear, 'Addi, Addi'
Girls are trying to get my attention, calling me 'Addi, Addi'
Dem fi know seh Don Corleone
They should know that I am like Don Corleone
Me a one sickhead smaddy
I am someone who is mentally unwell
When selector drop out di bass
When the DJ lowers the bass frequencies
Mek me make haste, replace di pace wid taste
I quickly adjust my movements to match the new rhythm
Step up di pace fi wipe dem fff di face
I increase my speed to defeat or overpower others
A di Earth, nobody move, nobody hurt
On our territory, no one should make any sudden moves or suffer harm
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Adidja Palmer, Donovan Keith Bennett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bubak Janneh
on Life We Living
life we living so hard
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on Ghetto Youth
some body send me this nonsese