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.
Di Way We Roll
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bombs away, party like a holiday
Jersey out but mi no play dis is not di NBA
Mi mix weed wid Craven "A"
Orange juice and Tanqueray
A no foreign mi get it from
No a so Jamaica stay
Pon a sunny summer day
Dem sexy lingerie
Show tatoos of all array
Drawers nuh holy like di Pope
We deh a di Vatican a pray
Louie V and Donna Kay
Dem gal yah change a brand a day
That's just di way we roll
High grade wid Craven "A" we roll
Not with John with Fay we roll
Three bottles of Baba roots a day
Baba roots a day
That's just di way we roll
High grade wid Craven "A" we roll
Not with John with Fay we roll
Three bottles of Baba roots a day
Dat's how we roll
How we roll 'pon di end "crazy"
Like Spragga Benz
Smokin with some other friends
Meditation 'pon a realms
Tune in like GSM, Wayne 'pon Irie FM
Kartel a play, Zip Kartel again
Man we wid di line a spend
'Cause a family time a spend
Guinness and weed after weed
Like how after nine and ten
Kall milk and china dem
Two of mi fat vagina frien
Mek we get di party on
And go inna di punch line again
That's just di way we roll
High grade wid Craven "A" we roll
Not with John with Fay we roll
Three bottles of Baba roots a day
Baba roots a day
That's just di way we roll
High grade wid Craven "A" we roll
Not with John with Fay we roll
Three bottles of Baba roots a day
Dat's how we roll
Dancehall have mi charm
Mi love it from mi born
When everybody gone
Me embedded in the lawn
Mi and Roach and Corleon
Get some girls and party on
But di Police Jeep no gone
So Cell Block don't beat no corn
Keep yuh calm, keep di piece
Under yuh arm like roll on
Be religious
Like di Bible or di holy Koran
Dancehall nice again
Mek di flavour float on
Cause di show must go on
And so on
That's just di way we roll
High grade wid Craven "A" we roll
Not with John with Fay we roll
Three bottles of Baba roots a day
Baba roots a day
That's just di way we roll
High grade wid Craven "A" we roll
Not with John with Fay we roll
Three bottles of Baba roots a day
Dat's how we roll
In the song "Di Way We Roll" by Vybz Kartel, the lyrics paint a picture of a wild and carefree party scene in Jamaica. The song references smoking weed mixed with Craven "A" cigarettes, drinking Tanqueray gin mixed with orange juice, and consuming three bottles of Baba roots each day. Baba roots is a popular Jamaican drink made from a mix of roots, bark, and herbs.
The lyrics suggest a close-knit group of friends who are enjoying each other's company while partying. The party-goers are decked out in sexy lingerie and designer clothing, such as Louis Vuitton and Donna Karan. The line "Drawers nuh holy like di Pope" implies that they are not concerned about being overly modest or religiously correct.
The song suggests that dancehall music and the party scene are an important part of Jamaican culture. The lyrics imply that this lifestyle may not be acceptable to everyone, but for those who live it, it is a reflection of the joy and freedom that can be found in Jamaica.
Line by Line Meaning
From wi push di club door
We entered the club energetically.
Bombs away, party like a holiday
We partied hard like there was no tomorrow.
Jersey out but mi no play dis is not di NBA
I wore a jersey, but this is not a basketball game.
Mi mix weed wid Craven "A"
I mixed marijuana with Craven "A" cigarettes.
Orange juice and Tanqueray
I drank orange juice and Tanqueray (gin).
A no foreign mi get it from
No a so Jamaica stay
I did not get it from abroad, this is how we do it in Jamaica.
Pon a sunny summer day
On a sunny summer day.
Gal dash weh like apple "J"
Girls dancing and throwing themselves at me like they are throwing an apple in the letter "J" shape.
Dem sexy lingerie
Show tatoos of all array
Drawers nuh holy like di Pope
Women wearing sexy lingerie and showing off various tattoos. Their underwear is not holy like the Pope.
We deh a di Vatican a pray
Louie V and Donna Kay
We are at the Vatican praying. We are wearing designer clothing from brands like Louis Vuitton and Donna Karan.
Dem gal yah change a brand a day
These girls change designer brand every day.
That's just di way we roll
High grade wid Craven "A" we roll
Not with John with Fay we roll
Three bottles of Baba roots a day
Baba roots a day
This is how we party. We smoke high-grade marijuana mixed with Craven "A" cigarettes. We do not drink with Johnnie Walker whiskey, but with Fayrouz non-alcoholic beverage. We drink three bottles of the herbal tonic Baba roots every day.
How we roll 'pon di end "crazy"
Like Spragga Benz
As the night turns crazier, we party like Spragga Benz (a famous dancehall artist).
Smokin with some other friends
Meditation 'pon a realms
We smoke weed with some other friends and meditate.
Tune in like GSM, Wayne 'pon Irie FM
Kartel a play, Zip Kartel again
We listen to music on the radio like GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) and Wayne on Irie FM (a Jamaican radio station). Kartel is playing his music, and we listen to it repeatedly.
Man we wid di line a spend
'Cause a family time a spend
We spend money on the party, but it is worth it because this is our family time.
Guinness and weed after weed
Like how after nine and ten
We drink Guinness beer and smoke weed repeatedly, like the numbers after nine and ten.
Kall milk and china dem
Two of mi fat vagina frien
Mek we get di party on
And go inna di punch line again
We have some friends who like Kalik (a Bahamian beer) and Chinese food, and two of my female friends with big vaginas. Let's keep the party going and use some punchlines again.
Dancehall have mi charm
Mi love it from mi born
When everybody gone
Me embedded in the lawn
Dancehall culture has its charm, and I love it since I was born. When everybody leaves, I am still there in the parking lot.
Mi and Roach and Corleon
Get some girls and party on
But di Police Jeep no gone
So Cell Block don't beat no corn
My friends Roach and Corleon and I get some girls and party, but the police have not left, so inmates from the block cannot fight here.
Keep yuh calm, keep di piece
Under yuh arm like roll on
Stay calm and keep your weapon hidden under your arm like a roll-on deodorant.
Be religious
Like di Bible or di holy Koran
Dancehall nice again
Mek di flavour float on
Be righteous and follow the Bible or the holy Quran. Dancehall is nice again, and let the vibe of the music float on.
Cause di show must go on
And so on
Because the show must go on, and so on.
Lyrics © Royalty Network Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ADIDJA KARTEL, DONOVAN BENNETT, VICTUS EDMUND, Kartel Bennett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
g2andrew
Back when kartel was real... No dislikes!!!! BangBangBang!!!
HITMAN47777777
From wi push di club door Bombs away Party like a holiday Jersey out but mi no play dis is not di NBA Mi mix weed wid Craven "A" Orange juice & Tanqueray A no foreign mi get it from No a so Jamaica stay Pon a sunny summer day Gal dash weh like apple "J" Dem sexy lingerie Show tatoos of all array Drawers nuh holy like di Pope We deh a di Vatican a pray Louie V & Donna Kay Dem gal yah change a brand a day
Sharde Richards
TIMELESS
876trucking
kartel spilt lyrics with sooooo much intellect.................
Dwayne Burrell
this song so sick
New Imyge
RIP ROACH AND FREE WORL BOSS!
Sharna Sterling
Roach died?
Dancehall Riddim's🎶
Uffff💕😍😍
Toniann Grizzle
🔥🔥🔥🔥
thug-life Gaza me say
as far as me see gaza undefeated all when the world boss get lock up thats still my opinion