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.

Climb Di Mountain
Vybz Kartel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Gaza Indu:] bet seh mi mash yuh up
[Vybz Kartel:] really
[Gaza Indu:] how yuh mean?
[Vybz Kartel:] wha yuh hear seh?
[Gaza Indu:] ah wah you feel seh?
[Vybz Kartel:] think me's a walkover

[Chorus:]

[Gaza Indu:] you can stay deh, anyhow me tun it da way deh
[Vybz Kartel:] ah wah yuh think seh dat a go do di teacha?
[Gaza Indu:] mash yuh down fi da whole day deh
[Vybz Kartel:] well alright come climb da mountain nuh
[Gaza Indu:] mek shure seh yuh find da route ya know
[Vybz Kartel:] dem journey will tired yuh out ya know
[Gaza Indu:] action over mouth ya know

[Verse 1:]
[Vybz Kartel:] gyal ah wah yuh feel seh?
[Gaza Indu:] mi ah go bruk yuh back me seh juss like that
[Vybz Kartel:] that a weh you mouth seh, feel seh badd step inna da house
Yeah
[Gaza Indu:] you can't manage it when me ah turn and twist like a beijing
Kite yuh do say juss like that
[Vybz Kartel:] everybody know seh empty barrel mek noise da most yeah

[Chorus:]
[Gaza Indu:] you can stay deh, anyhow me tun it da way deh
[Vybz Kartel:] ah wah yuh think seh dat a go do di teacha?
[Gaza Indu:] mash yuh down fi da whole day deh
[Vybz Kartel:] well alright come climb da mountain nuh
[Gaza Indu:] mek shure seh yuh find da route ya know
[Vybz Kartel:] dem journey will tired yuh out ya know
[Gaza Indu:] action over mouth ya know

[Verse 2:]
[Gaza Indu:] me nah back down no
[Vybz Kartel:] me worser nah back down no
[Gaza Indu:] somebody haffi drop down
[Vybz Kartel:] somebody ago loose dem stripe [x2]

[Vybz Kartel:] when yuh go suh pon di rocky road hold on nuh
[Gaza Indu:] mine yuh broke yuh neck round di corna
[Vybz Kartel:] no, no low gear nuh inna mi armour ah no mrs. Palmer, this ah

[Gaza Indu:] cah yuh deh pon seh yuh ah mi paasenger, yuh haffi tek weh
Yuhself chuck thru the window, and look how easy you life line long

[Vybz Kartel:] no sah mi have yuh life wrap round mi fingaa see it deh

[Chorus:]
[Gaza Indu:] you can stay deh, anyhow me tun it da way deh
[Vybz Kartel:] ah wah yuh think seh dat a go do di teacha?
[Gaza Indu:] mash yuh down fi da whole day deh
[Vybz Kartel:] well alright come climb da mountain nuh
[Gaza Indu:] mek shure seh yuh find da route ya know
[Vybz Kartel:] dem journey will tired yuh out ya know
[Gaza Indu:] action over mouth ya know

[Gaza Indu:] me nah back down no
[Vybz Kartel:] me worser nah back down no
[Gaza Indu:] somebody haffi drop down
[Vybz Kartel:] somebody ago loose dem stripe [x2]

[Chorus:]
[Gaza Indu:] you can stay deh, anyhow me tun it da way deh
[Vybz Kartel:] ah wah yuh think seh dat a go do di teacha?
[Gaza Indu:] mash yuh down fi da whole day deh
[Vybz Kartel:] well alright come climb da mountain nuh
[Gaza Indu:] mek shure seh yuh find da route ya know
[Vybz Kartel:] dem journey will tired yuh out ya know
[Gaza Indu:] action over mouth ya know

[Gaza Indu:] me nah back down no
[Vybz Kartel:] me worser nah back down no
[Gaza Indu:] somebody haffi drop down
[Vybz Kartel:] somebody ago loose dem stripe [x2]

[Outro:]
[Gaza Indu:] bet seh mi mash yuh up
[Vybz Kartel:] really
[Gaza Indu:] how yuh mean?
[Vybz Kartel:] wha yuh hear seh?
[Gaza Indu:] ah wah you feel seh?
[Vybz Kartel:] think me's a walkover

[Chorus:]
[Gaza Indu:] you can stay deh, anyhow me tun it da way deh
[Vybz Kartel:] ah wah yuh think seh dat a go do di teacha?
[Gaza Indu:] mash yuh down fi da whole day deh
[Vybz Kartel:] well alright come climb da mountain nuh
[Gaza Indu:] mek shure seh yuh find da route ya know

[Vybz Kartel:] dem journey will tired yuh out ya know
[Gaza Indu:] action over mouth ya know

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Vybz Kartel's song "Climb Di Mountain" feature two artists, Gaza Indu and Vybz Kartel, having a back-and-forth conversation where they both challenge each other's strength and prowess. The song is a classic dancehall song where the artists engage in subtle insults and challenging each other's abilities. Gaza Indu boasts about her skill and ability to overwhelm her opponent, while Vybz Kartel questions if she has what it takes to defeat him. The chorus emphasizes the need for action and results, rather than just talk.

The lyrics from Vybz Kartel's "Climb Di Mountain" are a testament to the competitive nature of dancehall music, where artists aim to outdo each other with their lyrics and performances. Throughout the song, the artists challenge each other's abilities and strength, using metaphors and subtle insults to assert their dominance. The chorus of the song emphasizes the need for action instead of just words, highlighting the importance of hard work and determination to achieve success.

Line by Line Meaning

bet seh mi mash yuh up
I bet I can defeat you

how yuh mean?
What do you mean by that?

wha yuh hear seh?
What have you heard?

ah wah you feel seh?
What do you think?

think me's a walkover
Do you think I am an easy target?

you can stay deh, anyhow me tun it da way deh
You can stay there and watch me do it my way

ah wah yuh think seh dat a go do di teacha?
Do you think that will defeat me?

mash yuh down fi da whole day deh
I will defeat you all day long

well alright come climb da mountain nuh
Okay, let's take on this challenge

mek shure seh yuh find da route ya know
Make sure you find the right way to climb the mountain

dem journey will tired yuh out ya know
The journey will exhaust you

action over mouth ya know
Actions speak louder than words

gyal ah wah yuh feel seh?
What do you think, girl?

mi ah go bruk yuh back me seh juss like that
I will defeat you easily

that a weh you mouth seh, feel seh badd step inna da house
Don't just talk, show your true strength

everybody know seh empty barrel mek noise da most yeah
People who talk the most often have nothing to show for it

me nah back down no
I won't back down

me worser nah back down no
I'm even more determined not to back down

somebody haffi drop down
Someone has to lose

somebody ago loose dem stripe [x2]
Someone is going to fail

when yuh go suh pon di rocky road hold on nuh
Be careful on the tough journey ahead

mine yuh broke yuh neck round di corna
Be careful not to injure yourself

no, no low gear nuh inna mi armour ah no mrs. Palmer, this ah
I'm not taking it easy, I'm going all out

cah yuh deh pon seh yuh ah mi paasenger, yuh haffi tek weh Yuhself chuck thru the window, and look how easy you life line long
If you're not contributing, you better get out of the way and watch how successful I am

no sah mi have yuh life wrap round mi fingaa see it deh
I have control over your fate

Contributed by Allison O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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