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.
Don't Know Someone
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All these years
Yeah dem waste it
No matter if mi rob every watch inna di fucking jewelry store then
Mi cyan get back di time
Tell the window, mi feel the pain
Fuck the gyal, the gyal go breed
Cumulus cloud, the king fi reign
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
Life shoulda have a shortcut
Fi mi look inna di future
Fi see, if mi waan go
Or me nah go
You too lie
And if you lay with flea, you rise with dog, mi a warn you
Wha' mek you never warn me
Say, mi alone cyan get di punanny?
(Bitch)
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
Don't insult mi IQ
You convince yourself, say the lie, true
Then you try tell me, a two ears that fly through
Why through everything
You never say you was a bitch, you just say you want wedding ring?
A dem ting deh mi cyan tek
If anything, you cyan say mi never love you
(I gave you, like everything)
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
Warning sign in front of me
From day one one mi see it, mi blind?
Me and deh, fi one year straight
Before you tek off your ex-man name
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
Tattoo shop never lock
You tek so long fi tek it off
You did a wait pon him fi come back
(Pay attention)
If a girl say she tek two man before she meet you, she really mean twelve man
(Don't feel like a joke dawg)
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
In "Don't Know Someone," Vybz Kartel reflects on the years he has lost and the pain he has experienced in relationships. He laments that no matter how much he tries to make up for lost time, he cannot bring it back. He expresses frustration with his partner's lies and deceit, and warns listeners not to make the same mistakes he has.
The song opens with a statement about wasted time: "So all my time just gone / All these years / Yeah dem waste it." This sets the tone for the rest of the song, as Kartel reflects on the mistakes he has made in relationships and the pain he has suffered as a result. He warns listeners not to make the same mistakes: "And if you lay with flea, you rise with dog, mi a warn you / Wha' mek you never warn me / Say, mi alone cyan get di punanny?" Here, he warns that lying with the wrong people can lead to negative consequences.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of really knowing someone before getting involved with them: "But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone / Then you tell yourself / Likkle of something better than most of none / Then you get caught up." The repetition of this refrain underscores the central theme of the song: the danger of getting involved with someone before really knowing them.
Line by Line Meaning
So all my time just gone
I feel like I've wasted my life
All these years
For many years
Yeah dem waste it
Yes, they wasted it
No matter if mi rob every watch inna di fucking jewelry store then
Even if I stole every watch from every jewelry store I wouldn't be able to get my wasted time back
Mi cyan get back di time
I can't get my wasted time back
Tell the window, mi feel the pain
I'm in pain and I want to express it to the world
Fuck the gyal, the gyal go breed
I don't care about the girl, she can go have a baby
Then mi say mi fam-bily mi need
I need my family
Cumulus cloud, the king fi reign
I am powerful and in control
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
You can't truly know someone until you get to know them
Then you tell yourself
You try to convince yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
You settle for something that's slightly better than nothing
Then you get caught up
Then you get in trouble
Life shoulda have a shortcut
Life should be easier
Fi mi look inna di future
So that I can see what's coming in the future
Fi see, if mi waan go
To decide whether I want to go through with it
Or me nah go
Or decide that I don't want to
You too lie
You're a liar
And if you lay with flea, you rise with dog, mi a warn you
If you associate with bad people, you will become like them
Wha' mek you never warn me
Why didn't you warn me?
Say, mi alone cyan get di punanny?
Are you saying that I'm not capable of getting a woman?
(Bitch)
(Insulting term for a woman)
Don't insult mi IQ
Don't insult my intelligence
You convince yourself, say the lie, true
You tell yourself the lie is true
Then you try tell me, a two ears that fly through
Then you try to convince me, who is not gullible
Why through everything
Why throughout everything
You never say you was a bitch, you just say you want wedding ring?
You never mentioned that you were promiscuous, you just said you wanted to get married?
A dem ting deh mi cyan tek
I can't tolerate those kinds of things
If anything, you cyan say mi never love you
If anything, you can say that I didn't love you
(I gave you, like everything)
(I gave you everything)
Warning sign in front of me
There was a sign warning me
From day one one mi see it, mi blind?
Did I ignore it even though I saw it from the beginning?
Me and deh, fi one year straight
We were together for a year straight
Before you tek off your ex-man name
Before you stopped using your ex-boyfriend's name
Tattoo shop never lock
The tattoo shop was never locked
You tek so long fi tek it off
You took so long to get it removed
You did a wait pon him fi come back
You were waiting for him to come back
(Pay attention)
(Listen carefully)
If a girl say she tek two man before she meet you, she really mean twelve man
If a girl says she's been with two guys before you, it's actually twelve guys
(Don't feel like a joke dawg)
(Don't take it as a joke)
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADIDJA PALMER, LINTON TIMAJAE WHITE, SIMON FRASER HOWDEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@laurenabraham6859
[Intro]
So all my time just gone
All these years
Yeah dem waste it
No matter if mi rob every watch inna di fucking jewelry store then
Mi cyan get back di time
[Verse 1]
Tell the window, mi feel the pain
Fuck the gyal, the gyal go breed
Then mi say mi fam-bily mi need
Cumulus cloud, the king fi reign
[Hook]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
[Verse 2]
Life shoulda have a shortcut
Fi mi look inna di future
Fi see, if mi waan go
Or me nah go (*kisses teeth*)
You too lie
And if you lay with flea, you rise with dog, mi a warn you
Wha' mek you never warn me
Say, mi alone cyan get di punanny?
(Bitch)
[Hook]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
[Verse 3]
Don't insult mi IQ
You convince yourself, say the lie, true
Then you try tell me, a two ears that fly through
Why through everything
You never say you was a bitch, you just say you want wedding ring?
A dem ting deh mi cyan tek
If anything, you cyan say mi never love you
(I gave you....like everything)
[Hook]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
[Verse 4]
Warning sign in front of me
From day one one mi see it, mi blind?
Me and deh, fi one year straight
Before you tek off your ex-man name
[Hook]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
[Verse 5]
Tattoo shop never lock
You tek so long fi tek it off
You did a wait pon him fi come back
(Pay attention)
If a girl say she tek two man before she meet you, she really mean twelve man
(Don't feel like a joke dawg)
[Hook: (2x)]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
@shackielsamuels320
I listen to this more than how i listen to my mother🔥🔊🔥
@shakiibrown1863
thanks kartel this song made me get to know someone before i rush things free world king
@laurenabraham6859
[Intro]
So all my time just gone
All these years
Yeah dem waste it
No matter if mi rob every watch inna di fucking jewelry store then
Mi cyan get back di time
[Verse 1]
Tell the window, mi feel the pain
Fuck the gyal, the gyal go breed
Then mi say mi fam-bily mi need
Cumulus cloud, the king fi reign
[Hook]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
[Verse 2]
Life shoulda have a shortcut
Fi mi look inna di future
Fi see, if mi waan go
Or me nah go (*kisses teeth*)
You too lie
And if you lay with flea, you rise with dog, mi a warn you
Wha' mek you never warn me
Say, mi alone cyan get di punanny?
(Bitch)
[Hook]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
[Verse 3]
Don't insult mi IQ
You convince yourself, say the lie, true
Then you try tell me, a two ears that fly through
Why through everything
You never say you was a bitch, you just say you want wedding ring?
A dem ting deh mi cyan tek
If anything, you cyan say mi never love you
(I gave you....like everything)
[Hook]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
[Verse 4]
Warning sign in front of me
From day one one mi see it, mi blind?
Me and deh, fi one year straight
Before you tek off your ex-man name
[Hook]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
[Verse 5]
Tattoo shop never lock
You tek so long fi tek it off
You did a wait pon him fi come back
(Pay attention)
If a girl say she tek two man before she meet you, she really mean twelve man
(Don't feel like a joke dawg)
[Hook: (2x)]
But you don't know someone, 'til you know someone
Then you tell yourself
Likkle of something better than most of none
Then you get caught up
@MrAdd28
Ready This Will Be a summer Banger Mark My Words Peace Out All V.... So Nice to Have Fresh Vybz Music Back On Youtube =))
@everblessed9239
Never gets old! Free world boss world 🌎👑 Addi innocent 💯 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@tishawnawilliams263
Still got this on repeat in 2017
@amirdeen5782
Months after and kartel still rocking. Gaza for life.
@pamelahaye4381
This song should have been a straight hit well put together
@vybzcorleone436
Addi your time never ends!!
It just changes shape, u used ur time and changed to energy with ur belief to legacy!! TIME CAN'T KILL LEGACY AND LEGENDS 2020🔄☯️🤴🏾
@moeshacampbell4450
Love this song❤💯