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.
Everybody
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everybody waan make some money
Everybody waan house and car
Everybody waan house and car
Everybody waan love someone
Everybody waan feel special
Everybody always need more
Everybody waan feel secure
Touch the road pon a militant flex
Clean to the bone all skeleton vex
Good to go dawg Ele confess
Jamaican people win any contest
Crush the road hope Shelly can press
Every sure loser you go get a abses
Rebel wid a cause oh yes a hand rest
Nanny my baby you is a God bless
Naw hear mi, mommy knows best
Gwwan in a UWI and you wi progress
Go a Utech do the process
And don't follow me weh sit down a smoke cess
A who seh Jamaica is hopeless
Unuh mind too dirty go hold a protex
Nanny my baby you is a God bless
Nanny my hero you is a Godbless
Injustice a nuh new thing
Suffering that a nuh new thing
Police waan charge mi fi shooting
But the victim seh him never si mi shoot him
Mi love laugh yeah, hold a few grin
But mi don't trust people, a true thing
Rebel wid a cause Paul Bogle
Samsharp we salute you king
Mi nuh wrenk yow, mi nuh urine
Bad wi bad Gaza a who him
Before, after and during
Wi nuh pet people wi walk wid hi
Mi love laugh yeah, hold a few grin
But mi don't trust people a true thing
Rebel wid a cause Paul Bogle
Samsharp we salute you king
The lyrics of "Everybody" by Vybz Kartel express the universal human desires for love, money, security, and recognition. The chorus repeats that everyone wants someone to love, wants to make money, and wants a house and a car. The song emphasizes the importance of being self-sufficient and determined, as the verses encourage listeners to work hard to achieve their goals, whether in education or career. The line, "Touch the road pon a militant flex," suggests a militant, assertive approach to life, while the reference to Jamaican historical figures such as Paul Bogle and Sam Sharp shows the pride and resilience of the Jamaican people.
The song also speaks to the struggles and injustices in society. The lyrics suggest that police may unfairly target individuals, as the singer claims they were falsely accused of shooting someone. The references to rebel leaders and historical figures speak to a long history of resistance and fighting for justice and equality, despite adversity.
Overall, the lyrics suggest that everyone has dreams and desires, but it takes hard work, self-belief, and resilience to make them a reality, while also acknowledging the challenges and injustices one may face along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody waan love somebody
Most people desire to love someone in their life
Everybody waan make some money
People are always looking to earn money
Everybody waan house and car
People crave a place to call home and transportation to move around
Everybody waan love someone
Most people crave affection and companionship
Everybody waan feel special
People desire to feel unique and exceptional
Everybody always need more
People are perpetually unsatisfied and always want more
Everybody waan feel secure
People desire to feel safe and protected
Touch the road pon a militant flex
Hit the streets with a resolute mindset
Clean to the bone all skeleton vex
Critics are jealous of my impeccable cleanliness
Good to go dawg Ele confess
Elephant Man confirms that we are ready to go
Jamaican people win any contest
Jamaicans are capable of triumphing over any challenge
Crush the road hope Shelly can press
Let's dominate the streets with confidence like Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce
Every sure loser you go get a abses
Every person who is consistently defeated will experience some form of discomfort
Rebel wid a cause oh yes a hand rest
I am a passionate rebel with a purpose and I will stop at nothing to achieve it
Nanny my baby you is a God bless
Nanny is a true blessing to us
Naw hear mi, mommy knows best
Listen to me, your mother knows what's best for you
Gwwan in a UWI and you wi progress
Attend the University of the West Indies and you will succeed
Go a Utech do the process
Go to the University of Technology and follow the process
And don't follow me weh sit down a smoke cess
Don't follow my path of smoking weed and being idle
A who seh Jamaica is hopeless
Whoever thinks Jamaica is hopeless is mistaken
Unuh mind too dirty go hold a protex
Clean your minds with soap, like using Protex
Injustice a nuh new thing
Injustice is not a novel concept
Suffering that a nuh new thing
Pain and hardship are not new experiences
Police waan charge mi fi shooting
The police want to charge me with shooting someone
But the victim seh him never si mi shoot him
But the victim claims to have not seen me shoot him
Mi love laugh yeah, hold a few grin
I love to laugh and smile, but I don't trust easily
Rebel wid a cause Paul Bogle
Paul Bogle was a rebel with a cause worth emulating
Samsharp we salute you king
Sam Sharpe, we commend you as a great leader
Mi nuh wrenk yow, mi nuh urine
I am not weak or cowardly
Bad wi bad Gaza a who him
We are skilled and fearless in Gaza, who dares challenge us?
Before, after and during
Always and in every circumstance
Wi nuh pet people wi walk wid hi
We don't entertain fake people who pretend to be our friends
Writer(s): Junior Delgado, Adidja Palmer
Contributed by Alexandra T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Good things Take time
"Jamaican people win any contest".... 2022 and beyond π€΄πΎ
Jackie H
I love this video. It's awesome to see the people he's singing for center stage showing their appreciation for the music. They're reppin for him since he physically can't. Good strength, producers.
Jakob Alexandersen
I really like this song and I think it is very nicely written. Good job Mr. Kartel!
Chef Miller
Clean to the bone, all skeleton vex π―π―
kendrick caesar
the greatest dancehall artiste of all time vybz kartel
Rickyrudy11
This is probably one of Teacha best videos and best song, should have more views
Kirk Xqlusiv
Still listening in 2019, #HitSong. still a hit song hot like its just released. #GazaNation
tannashill jjSE8
Keep the vybz alive! Free world boss, Gaza fi life
Jovial Kanji
Nice song & video... Nice vibes... This suppose to get a lot of spinπ§π§π§
Abz Uddin
this song isnt rude I cud play it in my cousins car now π