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.
Dollar Sign / Hustle the Money
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hustle, hustle di money
Hustle di money
Mi hustle hustle di money
Hustle di money
Mi hustle hustle di money
Hustle di money
Mi hustle hustle di money
Yuh ah Idleaz! mi nah have time fi yuh
Hold Down! mi nah have time fi yuh
Crosses! mi nah have time fi yoooou
Mi, mi, mi, mi nah have time fi nuh jail time
Dat a waste time
Mind pon mi money and mi money pon mi mind
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Anyweh yuh see mi at any given time
Mind pon mi money and mi money pon mi mind
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Low mi, money mi a meds
And yuh nah have none fi show mi
Thirty million fi a house up a Stoney
Suh mi gwaan hustle roun ah father Roun Mi
Mi nah mek, nuh bwoy ride mi like pony
All when mi bruck, rich gyal cyaan clown mi
Yuh mad, mi left dat wealthy and lonely
Not even Mummie can talk seh she own mi
Mi born as a don, like Live Up whe grow mi
Him teach mi seh mi bank book nuh fi bony
Pocket nuh fi tin, cause ah nuh macaroni
Higha definition, like TV a Sony
Money haffi run
Mi nah have time fi nuh jail time
Dat a waste time
Mind pon mi money and mi money pon mi mind
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Anyweh yuh see mi at any given time
Mind pon mi money and mi money pon mi mind
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Dem cya stop it
Mi want a bank inna my pocket
Dem see mummie wid di purse and a highjack it
And dem nah see di brinks and try stop it
But tell dem
Petty robbing a nuh my habit
Mi wah money, money, money, all type of it
One ounce (noo)
Three, four, five of it
Couple Benz fi mi friends
Tek di drive of it
Whether yuh, work, 9 to 5 of it
Or yuh hustle pon di ends fi survive of it
All di blind man see seh
Nuh war would nah fi gwan
If yuh and I have it
Mi nah have time fi nuh jail time
Dat a waste time
Mind pon mi money and mi money pon mi mind
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Anyweh yuh see mi at any given time
Mind pon mi money and mi money pon mi mind
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
The song "Dollar Sign/Hustle the Money" by Vybz Kartel is about the importance of hustling and making money, and not wasting time on things that could lead to imprisonment. Kartel emphasizes the need to keep one's mind solely focused on making money and not letting anyone distract them from achieving their goals. The shotta (hustler) in the song is keen on making money and keeping it safe from petty robbers who try to steal it. The song also highlights the importance of having different streams of income and constantly hustling to survive.
The lyrics talk about the desire for wealth and the willingness to work hard to achieve it. Kartel talks about how he is always on the move, running different hustles to make ends meet. He warns those around him not to be idle and waste their time and energy, as it will not get them anywhere. The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of keeping one's mind on the money and the potential for success that comes with it.
Overall, "Dollar Sign/Hustle the Money" is a motivational and energetic song that urges listeners to focus on their hustles and not lose sight of their goals. It is a reflection of the realities of the Jamaican streets, where hustling and making money is a way of life for many.
Line by Line Meaning
Hustle di money
Earn money through hard work
Hustle, hustle di money
Continue to work hard to earn money
Mi hustle hustle di money
I work hard to earn money
Yuh ah Idleaz! mi nah have time fi yuh
You're an idler and I don't have time for you
Hold Down! mi nah have time fi yuh
Stop bothering me, I don't have time for you
Crosses! mi nah have time fi yoooou
I don't have time for your issues and problems
Mi, mi, mi, mi nah have time fi nuh jail time
I don't have time to go to jail
Dat a waste time
It's a waste of time to get involved in illegal activities
Mind pon mi money and mi money pon mi mind
I focus on making money and think about money all the time
Di shotta dem a pree di dolla sign
The people who sell drugs are focused on making money
Low mi, money mi a meds
Leave me alone and let me focus on earning money
Thirty million fi a house up a Stoney
I want to earn thirty million to buy a house in Stoney
Suh mi gwaan hustle roun ah father Roun Mi
I continue to work hard and hustle around Father Roun Mi
Mi nah mek, nuh bwoy ride mi like pony
I won't let anyone control or use me for their own benefit
All when mi bruck, rich gyal cyaan clown mi
Even if I'm broke, wealthy women can't mock me or make fun of me
Yuh mad, mi left dat wealthy and lonely
You're crazy, I left being wealthy and alone
Not even Mummie can talk seh she own mi
Even my mother can't claim to own or control me
Mi born as a don, like Live Up whe grow mi
I was born to be a leader, like Live Up who raised me
Him teach mi seh mi bank book nuh fi bony
He taught me that my bank account shouldn't be empty
Pocket nuh fi tin, cause ah nuh macaroni
My pockets shouldn't be empty, because I need real money not just macaroni
Higha definition, like TV a Sony
I want to be successful and wealthy, like a high definition TV from Sony
Dem cya stop it
They can't stop me from earning money
Mi want a bank inna my pocket
I want to have a lot of money in my bank account
Dem see mummie wid di purse and a highjack it
They see my mother with her purse and try to rob her
And dem nah see di brinks and try stop it
They don't see the success and wealth I'm building and try to stop it
Petty robbing a nuh my habit
I don't rob or steal small amounts
Couple Benz fi mi friends
I want to buy a few Mercedes-Benz cars for my friends
Tek di drive of it
Let my friends take a drive in the cars
Nuh war would nah fi gwan
There wouldn't be any conflict or violence
If yuh and I have it
If we both have money and success
Lyrics © Royalty Network Music Publishing Ltd.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bubak Janneh
on Life We Living
life we living so hard
Bubak Janneh
on Ghetto Youth
some body send me this nonsese