Vybz Kartel (born Adidja Palmer, Jan. 7, 1976) is a Jamaican dancehall deej… Read Full Bio ↴Vybz Kartel (born Adidja Palmer, Jan. 7, 1976) is a Jamaican dancehall deejay.

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.

Can't Move We
Vybz Kartel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

So mi a seh a Don Corleon forever
So mi ah seh mi haffi laugh offa dem enuh
Educated dunce boasy slave
You know it's the teacha (Timeless)
Aye, will you believe blessing recieve
Dem neva love fi see a
Ghetto youth tek di lead
Weh dem deh when me a bleach fi own is each

Now them astonished fi see di
Heights weh wi reach aye

Dem can't movе we no matter weh dеm try
Ah life over death mi cry dem can't hurt we
When di Eden tend to eat up
My flesh they fell and died can't betray we
Cause mi put my trust and mi
Faith in da mo-ost high
Never will you live to see me fall

Mi have love inna mi heart
And inna mi thoughts
Dem waah fi tek mi offa di charts
Tear me apart but my resilience mek dem shot
Like a bumper cart
Dem nuh memba seh no chart
Nuh inna di people heart
Mi meet di Europeans from di
British to di Soviet
Yeah, Mi and Baby G go drop
One and mi won't forget
Memba, mi still a run Jamaica
Sting like a hornet
Then a Africa alone mi nuh gone yet
So wah then eeh?

Blackakartel
Some guy nuh real, a dat mi feel
Mi feel di bwoy dem have a plan
Fi try fi stop mi meal
But mi tougher than di general
Penitentiary steel
Solid as a rock, and we reachin to the top
Yeah, fadda give me strength fi put
Di food inna di pot
So di Pagon nah go live fi hear seh Addi drop
Stop di tune with me and Rihanna
Princess fi pop

Tek off di tune, weh mi do wid Missy Elliot
If you think yuh bad eeh?

Overall Meaning

In the lyrics of Vybz Kartel's song "Can't Move We," the artist opens by showing respect and loyalty to producer Don Corleon, who he sees as a significant figure in his life. He also emphasizes his strength and resilience in the face of challenges, laughing off any negativity directed towards him. The mention of being an "educated dunce" suggests that despite being underestimated or criticized, he is confident in his abilities and willing to lead others from the ghetto to success.

As the song progresses, Vybz Kartel discusses how he and other ghetto youths have risen above their circumstances and achieved great heights, despite facing skepticism and doubt from those around them. The lyrics convey a sense of pride in overcoming obstacles and defying expectations, with the artist proclaiming that no matter what others try to do, they cannot hold him back or derail his progress. This defiance is rooted in a deep belief in his own talents and the support of a higher power, which gives him the courage to continue moving forward.

Through his lyrics, Vybz Kartel addresses the attempts of others to undermine his success and erase his influence. He acknowledges the love and support he has in his heart and his community, contrasting it with the attempts of detractors to tear him down. The mention of meeting Europeans and continuing to be a powerful force in Jamaica and Africa speaks to his global impact and the obstacles he has overcome to achieve recognition and success in the music industry.

In the final verses, Vybz Kartel reflects on the authenticity of his identity and the obstacles he has faced throughout his career. He asserts his strength and determination to succeed, likening himself to unbreakable steel and emphasizing his commitment to providing for himself and his community. The lyrics convey a message of resilience, self-reliance, and unwavering faith in the face of adversity, showcasing Vybz Kartel's unyielding spirit and refusal to be swayed by those who seek to bring him down.

Line by Line Meaning

So mi a seh a Don Corleon forever
I'm proclaiming loyalty to Don Corleon forever

So mi ah seh mi haffi laugh offa dem enuh
I have to laugh at them, you know

Educated dunce boasy slave
Even though educated, still humble and proud

You know it's the teacha (Timeless)
Acknowledging my role as a teacher

Aye, will you believe blessing recieve
Can you believe the blessings we receive

Dem neva love fi see a
They never loved to see

Ghetto youth tek di lead
Taking the lead as ghetto youth

Weh dem deh when me a bleach fi own is each
Where were they when I was struggling alone

Now them astonished fi see di
Now they're surprised to see

Heights weh wi reach aye
The heights we've reached, hey

Dem can't move we no matter weh dem try
They can't defeat us no matter what they try

Ah life over death mi cry dem can't hurt we
I prioritize life over death, they can't harm us

When di Eden tend to eat up
Even when adversity tries to consume us

My flesh they fell and died can't betray we
They may try to attack, but can't betray us

Cause mi put my trust and mi
Because I put my trust in

Faith in da mo-ost high
Faith in the most high

Never will you live to see me fall
You'll never witness my downfall

Mi have love inna mi heart
I have love in my heart

And inna mi thoughts
And in my thoughts

Dem waah fi tek mi offa the charts
They want to remove me from the charts

Tear me apart but my resilience mek dem shot
Try to tear me apart, but my resilience surprises them

Like a bumper cart
Like a bumper car

Dem nuh memba seh no chart
They forget about the chart

Nuh inna di people heart
Not in the people's hearts

Mi meet di Europeans from di
I've met Europeans from

British to di Soviet
British to Soviet

Yeah, Mi and Baby G go drop
Yeah, me and Baby G will release

One and mi won't forget
One and I won't forget

Memba, mi still a run Jamaica
Remember, I'm still running Jamaica

Sting like a hornet
Sting like a hornet

Then a Africa alone mi nuh gone yet
I haven't gone to Africa alone yet

So wah then eeh?
So what then?

Some guy nuh real, a dat mi feel
Some guys aren't genuine, that's what I feel

Mi feel di bwoy dem have a plan
I feel the boys have a plan

Fi try fi stop mi meal
To try to halt my progress

But mi tougher than di general
But I am stronger than the average

Penitentiary steel
As solid as penitentiary steel

Solid as a rock, and we reachin to the top
Sturdy as a rock, and we're aiming for the top

Yeah, fadda give me strength fi put
Yeah, father give me strength to put

Di food inna di pot
The food in the pot

So di Pagon nah go live fi hear seh Addi drop
The enemies won't rejoice to hear me fail

Stop di tune with me and Rihanna
Stop associating me with Rihanna

Princess fi pop
Rihanna should shine

Tek off di tune, weh mi do wid Missy Elliot
Remove the song I did with Missy Elliot

If you think yuh bad eeh?
If you think you're tough, huh?

Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ADIDJA PALMER, DONOVAN BENNETT, NIGEL ANDREW STAFF

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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