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.
Daddy Devil
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bwoy violate an play zero
Father devil
Pickeny devil
Tel dem a hell mi live caw mi naw go bumbo cloth heaven
Anybody diss dem dead, dead, dead
Rifle a step in a dem head, head, head
Anybody diss dem dead, dead, dead
Rifle a step in a dem head, head, head
If yo know she yo no wan fi si mi eagle, go a yo bumbo cloth bed, bed, bed
Badda don warn dem
Gaza Sparta brimstone fire a no water daddy devil ready fi go slaughter
Shot up dem henz in a Benz
Send cava Taughta All cabby mi a charter
Gaza slim gun no spray water
Shi take it an buss it in a hartour daddy devil daughter
Deamon blood a run through tallyvane all Sparta
Addiesha the devil like father
Rifle a step in a dem head, head, head
If yo know she yo no wan fi si mi eagle, go a yo bumbo cloth bed, bed, bed
Anybody diss dem dead, dead, dead
Rifle a step in a dem head, head, head
If yo know she yo no wan fi si mi eagle, go a yo bumbo cloth bed, bed, bed
Badda don warn dem
No badda fuck roun daddy devil gaza war pan another level
Kyra mock 11
Chap up face like vegitable yo nie night is inevitable no body no fi settle
Nie night shot up di sound wa deh play affi pack up
Bwot head pull out weh patch up the house affi lock up in a sorrow
No funeral tomorrow
Anybody diss dem dead, dead, dead
Rifle a step in a dem head, head, head
If yo know she yo no wan fi si mi eagle, go a yo bumbo cloth bed, bed, bed
Anybody diss dem dead, dead, dead
Rifle a step in a dem head, head, head
If yo know she yo no wan fi si mi eagle, go a yo bumbo cloth bed, bed, bed
Badda don warn dem
Gaza Sparta brimstone fire a no water daddy devil ready fi go slaughter
Shot up dem henz in a Benz
Send cava Taughta All cabby mi a charter
Gaza slim gun no spray water
Shi take it an buss it in a hartour daddy devil daughter
Deamon blood a run through tallyvane all Sparta
Addiesha the devil like father
Rifle a step in a dem head head head
If yo know she yo no wan fi si mi eagle go a yo bumbo cloth bed bed bed
Anybody diss dem dead dead dead
Rifle a step in a dem head head head
If yo know she yo no wan fi si mi eagle go a yo bumbo cloth bed bed bed
Badda don warn dem
The lyrics of Vybz Kartel's "Daddy Devil" speak about the artist's reputation and his willingness to eliminate anyone who crosses him. The song begins by declaring the artists' status as a bad man hero and how anyone who tries to disrespect him will be punished severely. He then goes on to introduce the concept of "Father Devil" and "Pickeny Devil," symbolizing his association with evil forces.
The chorus of the song is a warning to anyone who dares to disrespect him or his associates, as they will be met with violence. The verses describe the violence that the artist and his crew are willing to inflict on their enemies. The lyrics emphasize the ruthlessness of the artist's behavior and how he is willing to kill anyone who opposes him or threatens his safety.
The song paints a vivid picture of the artist's life, his willingness to use violence, and the fear that he instills in others. In a way, the lyrics are a representation of the rough, dangerous streets of Jamaica, where violence is a way of life for some people.
Line by Line Meaning
Yow nero a wi a every bad man hero
Hey, fellow gang member, we are all heroes of the criminal underworld.
Bwoy violate an play zero
Anyone who goes against us will be punished severely.
Father devil
I am the devil's son, and I embrace my evil nature.
Pickeny devil
I was born with a natural inclination towards evil, and I am proud of it.
Tel dem a hell mi live caw mi naw go bumbo cloth heaven
Tell everyone that I embrace my wickedness and have no plans to seek redemption or go to heaven.
Anybody diss dem dead, dead, dead
Anyone who disrespects us will be killed without mercy.
Rifle a step in a dem head, head, head
We use firearms to eliminate our enemies.
If yo know she yo no wan fi si mi eagle, go a yo bumbo cloth bed, bed, bed
If you don't want to face my wrath, stay out of my way and mind your business.
Badda don warn dem
I have warned them multiple times, but they continue to defy me.
Gaza Sparta brimstone fire a no water daddy devil ready fi go slaughter
Our gang is fierce and unstoppable, and we will destroy anyone who stands in our way.
Shot up dem henz in a Benz
We are not afraid to kill anyone, regardless of their status or wealth.
Send cava Taughta All cabby mi a charter
We have a network of people who assist us with transportation and other needs.
Gaza slim gun no spray water
Even our female gang members are violent and dangerous.
Shi take it an buss it in a hartour daddy devil daughter
She is so ruthless that she can shoot and kill anyone, even her own family members.
Deamon blood a run through tallyvane all Sparta
Our gang members are all vicious and evil, and we are proud of it.
Addiesha the devil like father
Our female gang members are just as evil and merciless as our male members.
No badda fuck roun daddy devil gaza war pan another level
Do not attempt to mess with us, because our gang is at a whole other level of violence and ruthlessness.
Kyra mock 11
We have access to high-powered weapons that can kill multiple people in a single shot.
Chap up face like vegitable yo nie night is inevitable no body no fi settle
We are not afraid to mutilate our enemies' bodies, and we will not stop until they are all dead.
Nie night shot up di sound wa deh play affi pack up
We will attack anyone who opposes us, even if they are simply playing music.
Bwot head pull out weh patch up the house affi lock up in a sorrow
We will destroy any property belonging to our enemies, and they will be left to suffer the consequences.
No funeral tomorrow
We will kill our enemies so thoroughly that they will not even be able to have a proper funeral.
Writer(s): Andrew Sayeed Myrie, Adidja Palmer
Contributed by Leah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@tafadzwachiwanza2430
That last verse:
Gaza, Sparta, Brimstone, Fire anuh water
Daddy Devil ready fi guh slaughta
Shot up dem endz inna benz send cava, taughta, all cabby me a charter
Gaza Slim gun nuh spray water
She tek it and buss it inna hartour, Daddy devil daughta
Demon blood a run throught tallyvane all part a
Adija di devil like fada
@jeremyjohn5516
Style fu days 👌 🔥🔥🔥🔥
@sherln9650
Tune fa days 💫🔥
@tafadzwachiwanza2430
That last verse:
Gaza, Sparta, Brimstone, Fire anuh water
Daddy Devil ready fi guh slaughta
Shot up dem endz inna benz send cava, taughta, all cabby me a charter
Gaza Slim gun nuh spray water
She tek it and buss it inna hartour, Daddy devil daughta
Demon blood a run throught tallyvane all part a
Adija di devil like fada
@shabba7900
Second verse serious for dog
@seanrahaman6267
I wonder how war chune get to irritating by these new artist listen how flawless Kartel does dweet
@ojariallen4867
Ten years later an it’s Daddy was a pilot Vybz Kartel the goat
@carlosoliver4653
2022 and who still listening, I am 🎶🍺🇯🇲💯🔈
@Dexy.B
Here 🇻🇨
@aljayehamilton382
2022 and still hawt🔥🔥🔥🔥
@Star-kp8oc
imagine this song on stage show! yooooooooooooooow