Vybz Kartel (born Adidja Palmer, Jan. 7, 1976) is a Jamaican dancehall deej… Read Full Bio ↴Vybz Kartel (born Adidja Palmer, Jan. 7, 1976) is a Jamaican dancehall deejay.

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.

Fresh
Vybz Kartel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ta na na na na na na
Ta na na na na na (oh)
Ta na na na na na na
Ta na na na na na

Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh
Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh
Mi pants, mi shirt, mi shoes fresh

Mi chain, mi shades, mi breath fresh (oh)

Any gyal weh we wan' we get, we get
Any gyal weh we wan' we get
We do it like checkers, two check and three check (prefect)
Papi tek way Victoria Secret
Ah half dozen gyal we conquer with each step
Say dem ah gallis, dem neva do it yet
Gyal see we, she tek a deep breath
White T's, blue jeans, neat Clarks, neat crep

If mi tek away yuh girl from out ah yuh yard
Don't tek it personal, dawg
Ah jus true
Mi pants, mi shirt, mi shoes fresh
Mi chain, mi shades, mi breath fresh

We spin dem round like tornado
We get gyal everywhere we go (because)
Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh (oh)
Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh (ah)
We get any girl we wan'
Ta na na da na na na
Mi pants, mi shirt, mi shoes fresh (oh)
Mi chain, mi shades, mi breath fresh

If mi no get a new gyal di day done
A white one fi mi, a black one fi Dre Skull
Street vybz rum, ice in a cup
High grade inna ah dem vibes deh we hol' (oh)
We ah sharp shoota, some bwoy dull
Dem mek sumtin' easy, look difficult
(Ah weh you do di gyal dem Adidja?)
Mi nuh know, but dem ah pose like a seagull

If mi tek away yuh girl from out ah yuh yard
Don't tek it personal, dawg
Ah jus true
Mi pants, mi shirt, mi shoes fresh
Mi chain, mi shades, mi breath fresh

We spin dem round like tornado
We get gyal everywhere we go (because)
Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh (oh)
Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh (ah)
We get any girl we wan'
Ta na na da na na na
Mi pants, mi shirt, mi shoes fresh (oh)
Mi chain, mi shades, mi breath fresh

Ta na na na na na na
Ta na na na na na
Ta na na na na na na
Ta na na na na na
Ta na na na na na na
Ta na na na na na
Ta na na na na na na
Ta na na na na na

We spin dem round like tornado
We get gyal everywhere we go (because)
Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh (oh)
Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh (ah)
We get any girl we wan'
Ta na na da na na na
Mi pants, mi shirt, mi shoes fresh (oh)
Mi chain, mi shades, mi breath fresh

Fresh
Kartel, fresh fresh
Dre Skull, fresh fresh

Kartel, fresh fresh
Hi Clare, you looking so fresh

Overall Meaning

The song “Fresh” by Vybz Kartel is a fast-paced, upbeat song that creates an image of the artist’s own sense of style and fashion. In the lyrics, he emphasizes the idea that he is always fresh and stylish. Vybz Kartel starts the song by repeating the phrase “Ta na na na na,” which is a way to create rhythm and add extra energy to the song. The lyrics of the song focus on Vybz Kartel's fresh style, which includes his clothes, shoes, chain, shades, and even his breath. He boasts about being able to get any girl he wants with ease and how he can take away any girl from any man.

He also emphasizes his close friendship with Dre Skull, who is also mentioned in the lyrics. The song has a catchy and energetic rhythm that might appeal to youth culture. The lyrics express a culture that values fashion and style, where you have to be fresh to get the girl you want. The chorus repeats the phrase “Mi so fresh, mi style fresh” to show the importance of the freshness he is trying to portray. The song incorporates Jamaican patois, adding an element of culture and authenticity to the song.

Line by Line Meaning

Ta na na na na na na
A rhythmic, repetitive vocalization that serves as a transition between lines or a chorus.

Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh
I am very fashionable, my clothing and appearance are freshly trendy.

Mi pants, mi shirt, mi shoes fresh
My pants, shirt, and shoes are clean and contemporary in style.

Mi chain, mi shades, mi breath fresh (oh)
My jewelry, glasses, and breath are all in excellent condition.

Any gyal weh we wan' we get, we get
We are successful with any woman we try to pursue.

We do it like checkers, two check and three check (prefect)
We are confident and successful, like winning a game of checkers without making any mistakes.

Papi tek way Victoria Secret
We are able to seduce and convince attractive women like Victoria's Secret models to be with us.

Ah half dozen gyal we conquer with each step
We are able to seduce and conquer many different women with ease.

Say dem ah gallis, dem neva do it yet
Those who claim to be successful players with women have not yet experienced the level of success that we have.

Gyal see we, she tek a deep breath
Women become very excited and overwhelmed when they see us.

White T's, blue jeans, neat Clarks, neat crep
We are stylish and fashionable wearing white T-shirts, blue jeans, and clean shoes.

If mi tek away yuh girl from out ah yuh yard Don't tek it personal, dawg Ah jus true
If we successfully pursue and seduce a woman who was previously with someone else, it is not personal, it is just the truth that we are more desirable.

We spin dem round like tornado We get gyal everywhere we go (because) Mi so fresh, mi so fresh, mi style fresh
We easily attract and seduce women everywhere we go due to our stylish and fresh appearance.

If mi no get a new gyal di day done A white one fi mi, a black one fi Dre Skull Street vybz rum, ice in a cup High grade inna ah dem vibes deh we hol' (oh)
If we do not successfully seduce a new woman each day, we will still have a good time having drinks and enjoying ourselves with each other.

We ah sharp shoota, some bwoy dull Dem mek sumtin' easy, look difficult (Ah weh you do di gyal dem Adidja?) Mi nuh know, but dem ah pose like a seagull
We are skilled at seducing women, while other men struggle and make it look hard. When asked about what we do with the women, we do not know but imagine they are posing like seagulls (indicating they are likely enjoying themselves).

Hi Clare, you looking so fresh
Referring to someone named Clare and mentioning that she looks fashionable and attractive.

Fresh Kartel, fresh fresh Dre Skull, fresh fresh Kartel, fresh fresh
Reiteration of the statement that both Kartel and Dre Skull appear and feel fresh, fashionable, and attractive.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andrew Hershey, Adidja Palmer

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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