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.
Guns Like These
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mi gun dem belly full dem nuh hungry
Which knife mi nuh crocodile dundee
Mi shot feds wid my gun and their gun
Bullet fly chru chest weh play
Rugby, as a God mi is not a nice hombre
So nuh feel seh mi aggo come tump it
Bunty bring a bloodclaat gun inna di country
Weh bruk bone like crackers weh crunchy
Any weh dat touch yuh right off
Heart beat drop like it a jump bungy
Dem don't got guns like these
Dem don't got thugs like these
We run these streets with trees
And keys and things that sting like bees
Dem don't got guns like these
Dem don't got thugs like these
We run these streets with things
That sting like bees
Pon di black market
Yuh cyaan get a Walmart and target
Dem outcast like Princess Margret
Example di callico fully chrome reach
Wooden handle weh brown like chocolate
AK by the pallet and forklift
Handgun by di barrel and basket
Gun thief see di Ruger, want it
Bullet mi plant it, face mi slant it
Hands up, icepick under yuh armpit
Some bwoy just see dis and talk it
A inna face borderline man bark it
Del a walk pon dead body like carpet
Dem don't got guns like these
Dem don't got thugs like these
We run these streets with trees
And keys and things that sting like bees
Dem don't got guns like these
Dem don't got thugs like these
We run these streets with things
That sting like bees
Di war get ugly
Mi gun dem belly full dem nuh hungry
Which knife mi nuh crocodile dundee
Mi shot feds wid my gun and their gun
Bullet fly chru chest weh play
Rugby, as a God mi is not a nice hombre
So nuh feel seh mi aggo come tump it
Run up inna mi pumpy, get yuh brain jumpy
Bunty bring a bloodclaat gun inna di country
Weh bruk bone like crackers weh crunchy
Any weh dat touch yuh right off
Heart beat drop like it a jump bungy
Dem don't got guns like these
Dem don't got thugs like these
We run these streets with trees
And keys and things that sting like bees
Dem don't got guns like these
Dem don't got thugs like these
We run these streets with things
That sting like bees
Dem don't got guns like these
Dem don't got thugs like these
We run these streets with trees
And keys and things that sting like bees
Dem don't got guns like these
Dem don't got thugs like these
We run these streets with things
That sting like bees
The song "Guns Like These" by Vybz Kartel portrays the violence and aggression that is prevalent in urban neighborhoods. The lyrics depict the harsh realities of the gang culture and how powerful one can feel when they possess a weapon. Kartel raps about his guns that are always full and never hungry, showing how he is always ready for a fight. He identifies himself as a dangerous man who can shoot the police and claims that his gun is more powerful than theirs. The line "bullet fly chru chest weh play rugby" shows how he is a merciless killer who doesn't discriminate.
The lyrics further explain how the gun culture can corrupt society as a whole. The guns that they possess are so advanced and effective that nobody can match them. They are so powerful that they have complete control over the streets, and nobody can challenge their authority. The last verse of the song is a warning to anyone who talks about guns but has never really used one. He claims that he walks all over dead bodies like they are carpets, further emphasizing his ruthlessness.
Line by Line Meaning
Di war get ugly
The situation is becoming violent and chaotic
Mi gun dem belly full dem nuh hungry
My guns are always loaded and ready to be fired at any moment
Which knife mi nuh crocodile dundee
I possess a variety of sharp weapons and I'm skilled in using them
Mi shot feds wid my gun and their gun
I can take down law enforcement officers using their own weapons, in addition to my own
Bullet fly chru chest weh play
Bullets pierce through flesh easily
Rugby, as a God mi is not a nice hombre
I'm not a kind or forgiving person and I'm not to be messed with
So nuh feel seh mi aggo come tump it
Don't think I won't retaliate with violence
Run up inna mi pumpy, get yuh brain jumpy
If you come close to me with bad intentions, you'll get shot in the head
Bunty bring a bloodclaat gun inna di country
My associates bring powerful weapons into the country to aid our illegal activities
Weh bruk bone like crackers weh crunchy
Our guns have the ability to shatter bones like crunchy crackers
Any weh dat touch yuh right off
Any area of your body that is hit will immediately show visible damage
Heart beat drop like it a jump bungy
Your heart rate will decrease rapidly, as if you're jumping off a bungee bridge
Dem don't got guns like these
No one else has weapons as powerful and deadly as mine
Dem don't got thugs like these
No one else has associates as dangerous and ruthless as mine
We run these streets with trees
We control the streets, our weapons are like the trees that grow and spread in the area
And keys and things that sting like bees
We also possess other weapons that can cause pain, like the stingers on bees
Pon di black market
We sell our illegal weapons on the black market
Yuh cyaan get a Walmart and target
These weapons are not available for sale at retail stores like Walmart or Target
Dem outcast like Princess Margret
Other people view us as outcasts, like how Princess Margaret was ostracized by the royal family for her behavior
Example di callico fully chrome reach
For instance, I have a high-quality chrome-plated Kalashnikov rifle in my possession
Wooden handle weh brown like chocolate
My gun has a brown wooden handle that's similar in color to chocolate
AK by di pallet and forklift
I have a large amount of AK-47 rifles stacked on a pallet and ready to be delivered
Handgun by di barrel and basket
I keep a handgun nearby, resting on a barrel or basket
Gun thief see di Ruger, want it
If someone sees my Ruger handgun, they'll immediately want to steal it
Bullet mi plant it, face mi slant it
I aim and shoot bullets with precision, directing them towards a specific target
Hands up, icepick under yuh armpit
If someone is in a vulnerable position, like with their hands up, I'll still resort to violence and use an icepick to harm them
Some bwoy just see dis and talk it
Some people only talk about violence, but they don't actually have the guts to take action
A inna face borderline man bark it
I'm willing to fight without hesitation and push things to the limit
Del a walk pon dead body like carpet
I have no respect for human life, and I'll even walk on a dead body as if it's a carpet
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
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