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.

Da Agony
Vybz Kartel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Yo (yo yo) dem know a Kartel (when?)
Inna di 80s hey! Lawd have his mercy
A Kartel enuh di teacha, hey
Lawd have his mercy
Weh di gyal dem seh, eeh?

Me have di agony, give it to Karen
Karen went, tell a friend friend

So di friend friend send Gwen
Now Gwen Gwen recommend mend di
Cocky wid di bend bend
Wid di bend bend, wid di bend

Gyal come gimme di style
Come gimmе di style
It wicked and wicked and wild
Do you rathеr di kitchen or
Di patio or di tile
Mek me nibble di breast like chicken
When it fry inna cooking oil
While you siddung pon di ting weh
Longer than di river Nile follow mi!
Fi get di lovin' gyal, walkin many many mile
Fi me force up di vagile until it get fragile
When me salad a gyal and shift har
Up and give har couple pile
A CNN number she dial and tell dem seh

Me have di agony, give it to Karen
Karen went, tell a friend friend
So di friend friend send Gwen
Now Gwen Gwen recommend mend di
Cocky wid di bend bend
Wid di bend bend, wid di bend

Hey, gyal want di sinting
Dem send fi di kingpin
Seh seh want me fi send it up inna di inting
Till me buss like di bomb dem weh Bill fling
Guinness and ginseng we bring to di pimpin'
Gyal enter walking, when exit she limping
After she ask what I'm smoking and drinking
She seh she feel like
Titanic when it's sinking
She seh every newspaper should
Be printing seh

Me have di agony, give it to Karen
Karen went, tell a friend friend
Now di friend friend send Gwen
Now Gwen Gwen recommend mend di
Cocky wid di bend bend
Wid di bend bend, wid di bend
Gyal come gimme di style
Come gimme di style
It wicked and wicked and wild
Do you rather di kitchen or
Di patio or di tile
Mek me nibble di breast like chicken
When it fry inna cooking oil
While you siddung pon di ting weh
Longer than di river Nile follow mi!

Fi get di lovin' gyal, walkin many many mile
Fi me force up di vagile until it get fragile
When me salad a gyal and shift har
Up and give har couple pile
A CNN number she dial and tell dem seh

Me have di agony, give it to Karen
Karen went, tell a friend friend
So di friend friend send Gwen
Now Gwen Gwen recommend mend di
Cocky wid di bend bend
Wid di bend bend, wid di bend

Hey, gyal want di sinting
Dem send fi di kingpin
Seh seh want me fi send it up inna di inting
Till me buss like di bomb dem weh Bill fling
Guinness and ginseng we bring to di pimpin'
Gyal enter walking, when exit she limping
After she ask what I'm smoking and drinking
She seh she feel like
Titanic when it's sinking
She seh every newspaper should
Be printing seh

Me have di agony, give it to Karen
Karen went, tell a friend friend
Now di friend friend send Gwen
Now Gwen Gwen recommend mend di
Cocky wid di bend bend
Wid di bend bend, wid di bend
Gyal come gimme di style

Come gimme di style
It wicked and wicked and wild

Overall Meaning

In "Da Agony" by Vybz Kartel, the lyrics depict the singer's prowess and dominance over women, emphasizing his sexual experiences and abilities. The opening lines establish Kartel's identity and reputation as a prominent figure in the music industry. The phrase "dem know a Kartel" suggests that his name and influence are widely recognized, possibly referring to the length of time he has been active, the impact he has had on the dancehall genre, or both.

The following lines introduce a scenario where Kartel encounters a woman named Karen, whom he refers to as having "di agony." This is a metaphorical representation of Karen's desire or need for Kartel's sexual gratification. Karen then informs her friend, who in turn introduces Gwen to Kartel. Gwen becomes another participant in their sexual encounters, reinforcing the idea that Kartel is desirable and sought after. The repetition of "bend bend" in the chorus suggests a sexual position or action.

The subsequent verses continue to emphasize Kartel's sexual prowess and the pleasure he provides to women. He invites women to give him different sexual styles, implying his willingness to engage in various sexual acts and arrangements. The mention of nibbling on chicken breasts in cooking oil serves as a metaphor for Kartel's desire to pleasure a woman's breasts. The lyric suggests an indulgent and erotic experience.

The lyrics also touch on the idea that women seek out Kartel as the ultimate sexual experience, referring to him as the "kingpin." The lines "she seh every newspaper should be printing seh" convey the woman's desire to publicly declare her enjoyment of their encounter. She uses the reference to the sinking Titanic to express both the intensity and perhaps the transient nature of their sexual encounter.

Overall, "Da Agony" explores Vybz Kartel's sexual prowess and the desire he evokes in women. The lyrics depict a scenario where women eagerly seek him out for sexual satisfaction, emphasizing the pleasure he can provide and celebrating his status as a dominant figure in the dancehall world.

Line by Line Meaning

Yo (yo yo) dem know a Kartel (when?)
Hey everyone, do you know who I am? It's Kartel!

Inna di 80s hey! Lawd have his mercy
Let's go back to the 80s, oh my, it was a crazy time!

A Kartel enuh di teacha, hey
I'm Kartel, the teacher, you know?

Lawd have his mercy
Oh my goodness, have mercy!

Weh di gyal dem seh, eeh?
What are the ladies saying?

Me have di agony, give it to Karen
I possess this intense desire and passion, and I'm giving it to Karen

Karen went, tell a friend friend
Karen experienced it and told her close friends

So di friend friend send Gwen
And then those friends sent Gwen

Now Gwen Gwen recommend mend di
And now Gwen highly recommends fixing

Cocky wid di bend bend
A flexible motion with the intimate body part

Wid di bend bend, wid di bend
Repeating the action of bending and flexing

Gyal come gimme di style
Ladies, bring me your unique ways

Come gimmе di style
Show me your special techniques

It wicked and wicked and wild
It's absolutely thrilling and untamed

Do you rather di kitchen or
Would you prefer the kitchen or

Di patio or di tile
The patio or the tiled floor

Mek me nibble di breast like chicken
Let me gently bite your breasts like chicken

When it fry inna cooking oil
Just like when chicken is frying in hot oil

While you siddung pon di ting weh
While you're sitting on that thing that's

Longer than di river Nile follow mi!
Longer than the river Nile, follow my lead!

Fi get di lovin' gyal, walkin many many mile
To find the girl of my desire, I'm willing to walk many miles

Fi me force up di vagile until it get fragile
I'll exert pressure until her intimate part becomes delicate

When me salad a gyal and shift har
When I'm engaging with a girl in various positions

Up and give har couple pile
I'll lift her up and give her a few rounds

A CNN number she dial and tell dem seh
She'll call a CNN hotline and tell them

Hey, gyal want di sinting
Hey, the ladies desire the thing

Dem send fi di kingpin
They sent for the kingpin

Seh seh want me fi send it up inna di inting
She's requesting me to send it up into the thing

Till me buss like di bomb dem weh Bill fling
Until I explode like the bombs that Bill throws

Guinness and ginseng we bring to di pimpin'
We bring Guinness and ginseng for the pimping experience

Gyal enter walking, when exit she limping
The girl entered confidently, but when leaving, she's limping

After she ask what I'm smoking and drinking
Then she asks about what I'm smoking and drinking

She seh she feel like
She says she feels like

Titanic when it's sinking
The Titanic when it's sinking, helpless and overwhelmed

She seh every newspaper should
She suggests that every newspaper should

Be printing seh
Print this story

Me have di agony, give it to Karen
I possess this intense desire and passion, and I'm giving it to Karen

Karen went, tell a friend friend
Karen experienced it and told her close friends

Now di friend friend send Gwen
And now those friends sent Gwen

Now Gwen Gwen recommend mend di
Now Gwen highly recommends fixing

Cocky wid di bend bend
A flexible motion with the intimate body part

Wid di bend bend, wid di bend
Repeating the action of bending and flexing

Gyal come gimme di style
Ladies, bring me your unique ways

Come gimme di style
Show me your special techniques