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.
Empire Army
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lock dung white hall
Gun shot from sun up till night fall
Yo jeffrey Hype
Wet dem up like a tsunami
A wah di bloodclat dis
Dem wah fi war mi so mi send fi mi army
Dis di empire coppa shot ago fire
Mr palmer got de rifle dem weh taller dan palm tree
Wah fi war me so mi send fi mi army
Bullet a spray dem like isimiaki
Nuttin with gleaner so mi disguise ina
Camouflage blue suit and red semi khaki
One gunshot kill any man
Di rementon dat tun him ina skeleton
Smith and wesson eva ina adidja lef han
Coppa split skull ina de split of a second
Doc a look ina him head without a cap scan
You nuh kno me
Dis a supa cat song
Mount a gun weh him add up mad di maths man
Flining afti cricketa mi no bats man
Wats wrong
Dem come with gang but wen dis bang dem head fling from
Dem neck dem mek one false move shots sen death dem met dem death
Caan dis whiteall everett bwoy piss demself like child wen wet
You send threat, go suck ya maada a dead before dishonor
Dem wah fi war mi so mi send fi mi army
Bullet a spray dem like itsy miaki
Dis de empire coppa shot ago fire
Mr palmer got de rifle dem weh taller dan palm tree
Wah fi war me so mi send fi mi army
Bullets a spray dem like itsy miaki
Nuttin with gleaner so mi disguise ina
Camouflage blue suit and red semi khaki
No meetin
From yo dis yo get beatin
Steven
None a him gun no use deisel
So deivel believe we ago link yo fi reason
Bullet to skin like meat to meat season
Gaza cold like winta mi no response fi di otha bloodcloth three seasons
So tell missa evil kneivel mi desert pigeon kill him eagle
How u fi think seh classic wen mi seh sixpance
Mine have crank shaft distancs
Bwoy come a big ship a dis lance
Mi no response kick him off at a distance
God have de whole world in his hands
But me own the guns and all de big bombs
A no me start it trical, me neva wah nuh guerrila war.
Dem wah fi war mi so mi send fi mi army
Bullet a spray dem like itsy miaki
Dis de empire coppa shot ago fire
Mr palmer got de rifle dem weh taller dan palm tree
Wah fi war me so mi send fi mi army
Bullets a spray dem like itsy miaki
Nuttin with gleaner so mi disguise ina
Camouflage blue suit and red semi khaki
The lyrics of Vybz Kartel's song "Empire Army" depict a ruthless and powerful force that will not hesitate to retaliate against any threat or perceived disrespect. The first verse describes the sound of gunshots echoing from sunup to sundown, with mentions of individuals who are prepared for battle. The lines "Dem wah fi war mi so mi send fi mi army" and "Bullet a spray dem like isimiaki" demonstrate the singer's readiness to fight and his confidence in his team's ability to destroy anyone who challenges them. The chorus emphasizes this point further by stating that they will disguise themselves and use camouflage to attack their enemies.
In the next verse, the lyrics describe the extent of their firepower, highlighting their superior weapons such as "Rifle dem weh taller dan palm tree." They also present a cold-blooded attitude toward violence, saying that "One gunshot kill any man," and that even their enemies' skulls will split in a second. The lyrics mention that the group is united under a cause, with the singer mentioning "Gaza," referring to the Gaza Empire, a dancehall crew with whom he was associated. The final lines of the song, "A no me start it trical, me neva wah nuh guerrilla war," suggest that the singer is merely a product of his circumstances and had no choice but to become involved in violent situations.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo twelve lane
Referring to the twelve-lane street that runs through Kingston, Jamaica
Lock dung white hall
Shutting down government offices and buildings in the White Hall district
Gun shot from sun up till night fall
Gunshots being fired throughout the day and night
Yo jeffrey Hype
Referring to DJ Jeffrey Hype
Wet dem up like a tsunami
Attacking enemies with a lot of force and power, similar to a tsunami
A wah di bloodclat dis
Asking what is happening or going on
Dem wah fi war mi so mi send fi mi army
Enemies want to start a war with Vybz Kartel, so he is calling his army to fight back
Bullet a spray dem like isimiaki
Shooting bullets at enemies like spraying from a hose
Dis di empire coppa shot ago fire
Empire cops will receive gunfire
Mr palmer got de rifle dem weh taller dan palm tree
Vybz Kartel has guns that are taller than a palm tree
Nuttin with gleaner so mi disguise ina
Not dealing with the media, so Vybz Kartel disguises himself in camouflage to avoid detection
Camouflage blue suit and red semi khaki
Describing the specific colors of the camouflage outfit Vybz Kartel wears
One gunshot kill any man
One shot from a gun can kill anyone
Di rementon dat tun him ina skeleton
A gunshot can turn a person into a skeleton
Smith and wesson eva ina adidja lef han
Describing that Vybz Kartel's gun of choice is a Smith & Wesson, which he holds in his left hand
Coppa split skull ina de split of a second
A police officer will shoot and split someone's skull in a split second
Doc a look ina him head without a cap scan
A doctor will look into someone's head without the need for a CT scan because of the severity of their gunshot wound
You nuh kno me
You do not know Vybz Kartel personally
Dis a supa cat song
Referencing the song style of famous reggae artist Supa Cat
Mount a gun weh him add up mad di maths man
Vybz Kartel has many guns and can do math quickly and easily
Flining afti cricketa mi no bats man
Vybz Kartel prefers to play cricket and not baseball
Wats wrong
Asking what the problem is
Dem come with gang but wen dis bang dem head fling from
Gangs will approach, but as soon as there is gunfire, they will run away
Dem neck dem mek one false move shots sen death dem met dem death
If someone makes one wrong move, they will be shot and killed
Caan dis whiteall everett bwoy piss demself like child wen wet
A Whitehall Everett boy will be afraid and urinate in their clothes like a child when they get scared
You send threat, go suck ya maada a dead before dishonor
If someone threatens Vybz Kartel, they will die before he dishonors himself
No meetin
There will be no negotiations or meetings
From yo dis yo get beatin
If you disrespect, you will get beaten up
Steven
Referring to Stephen McGregor, who produced the song
None a him gun no use deisel
Stephen McGregor does not use diesel fuel for any of his guns, so they are not as powerful as they could be
So deivel believe we ago link yo fi reason
If someone believes Vybz Kartel is easily reasoned with, they are foolish
Bullet to skin like meat to meat season
Bullets hitting skin is like seasoning meat
Gaza cold like winta mi no response fi di otha bloodcloth three seasons
The Gaza area is cold and unfeeling like winter, and Vybz Kartel will not respond to anyone for the next three seasons
So tell missa evil kneivel mi desert pigeon kill him eagle
Someone should tell Evil Knievel that Vybz Kartel has killed his eagle
How u fi think seh classic wen mi seh sixpance
How can you believe something is classic when Vybz Kartel is saying something different
Mine have crank shaft distancs
Vybz Kartel has extended crank shafts in his guns
Bwoy come a big ship a dis lance
Someone is overconfident and coming with a big ship, but Vybz Kartel's lance is better
Mi no response kick him off at a distance
Vybz Kartel will not respond, but he will physically push someone away from him
God have de whole world in his hands
God is in control of everything
But me own the guns and all de big bombs
Vybz Kartel has power and control because he has guns and bombs
A no me start it trical, me neva wah nuh guerrila war.
Vybz Kartel did not start this, and he does not want any guerrilla warfare
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: A PALMER, STEPHEN MCGREGOR
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