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.
Life Story
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No matter what them do
The best comes from the worst
Today fi you tomorrow for me
Ah d teacher
Me never know me wuda buss
From me an mummy use to tekk d buss
With new style and new flows
Like wey pac said who knows!
D Bemma d lexus d new royce
Me a free from likkle pickney days inna school clothes
When me shoes d tear out you cuda see a few toes
Me house pack and leaking d house hot we sleepin,
We house rot we bounce back when me daddy anounce dat
We move into Portmore
The sun shine the sea shore,
It still better but me still ah pree more,
From long time me stop par with babylon
And mix guns and weed selling
Thugs did tings fi me collar hype up and sweet smelling
Cops carraling, yelling don't move
We won't prove
Dem lock we up we get bail
Nex day we set sail,
Like big ship same stuff
We muda say me name cruff
But still we remain tuff
Cause better must come!
Yo jah no steven yo mi ah likkle yute star
Me faddah don hav ah son see wah mi ah say
Ah likkle component yet still
And as a yute me usually watch all me uncle
Dem dj pon it and ting and yuh see me bare big man
And dem da burn all dem weed
And dem ting dey as a likkle yute dawg
Yooo me nuh kno me jus wish me cuda be like dem
You see me
Me never know me wudda buss,
And thugs ah say addi d dadda
See it dey it feel good fi buy ah house fi me mudda,
When me son have birthdayz anything he want him get
And anonothing when me a yute ah backstroke me use get
Me use to haffi beg ah spliff ah rizzla ah cigarette
If me no hustle ah road I cud not own yet
Me never pree fi own car me own home me own jet
Dutty chat mek me mouth wet now me see outlet
Inna d suffer and d hunger
Ah police name blood wan kill me wen me younger
Him yuni have ah gun wey roolll thunder
Circle if he ah muder me but God say ah never fill me number
Me use to pray to fadah god at night time
To make me parents dem live fi see addi turn somebody
Mi love mommy me love daddy
Same love me give to rahiem, and jahiem and chayen
Me ah me sons daddy
Yo big man thing still, buju banton first time me go studio
And hear da yute dey me checks da DJ thing
But me ah put dung d artist thing one time me na lie
And a next time too yooo some bwoy ah order phone
Uzza pussy dem tru warrior king and dem dey buss before me
DI bwoy and dem so high and baload man dey worthless
Yuh see wah man ah did man like ah fool
Me never know me wudda buss,
2k2 was the year ah grey dry fi ear
KARTEL OF career like trilla me change gear
Better each lyric when me member ppl use to say you na buss yuh ah gimic
Dem affi watch me now pon dem tv
Or pay fi see me my presents no free
Nuff girls use to call addi eye and ballon
Now me walkin pon dem like floor in a room
The first police wey lock me up for disrespect
Me was a joy ask me wah me do
Me say artist him say me unemployed
Lock me up me nuh hav no lawyer
So ah jail me sleep in and now me pass him inna bema
Who ah d man you ah d boy?
No matter who you is, where you from, who you are
Ghetto yute we need money nuff house and nuff car
From you black you ah nigga every nigga is ah star
Who nuh like dat drop ah sleep
In the song "Life Story" by Vybz Kartel, the artist speaks on his experience growing up in poverty and his journey towards success. He urges ghetto youth to work hard and persevere through adversity. The song is a reflection of the rapper's life experiences from his childhood to his rise in the music industry and how he has overcome challenges within his environment.
The opening line "Yo ghetto youth have to make it life, No matter what them do" indicates the overall message of the song, which is to encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to strive for success. He reminisces about his upbringing where he and his mother used public transportation and could only afford torn shoes. However, his determination to succeed never faltered, and he continued to work towards a better life. He faced various hurdles such as police harassment, being locked up, and the constant pressure from his peers to take up drugs and guns. Despite all of this, he remained focused and made it big into the music industry.
The song is a testament to Vybz Kartel's journey towards success and highlights the struggles and hardships he had to face to get to the place where he is today. It also serves to inspire struggling individuals to never give up and to always work towards reaching their goals.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo ghetto youth have to make it life
As a youth from the ghetto, it is important to succeed in life.
No matter what them do
Regardless of any obstacles or challenges.
The best comes from the worst
Great success can come from the toughest challenges or situations.
Today fi you tomorrow for me
Helping one another is important, as you never know when you may need their help.
Ah d teacher
Life is the greatest teacher.
Me never know me wuda buss
I never knew that I would become successful.
From me an mummy use to tekk d buss
As a child, my mother and I used to ride the bus.
From third world me never know me wuda lock d first world
As a child from a less privileged world, I never imagined I would be successful in the first world.
With new style and new flows
With new music style and unique creative ideas.
Like wey pac said who knows!
As Tupac said, who knows what the future holds.
D Bemma d lexus d new royce
Luxury cars including the BMW, Lexus, and Rolls Royce.
Me a free from likkle pickney days inna school clothes
I now have more freedom from the days of childhood in school clothes.
When me shoes d tear out you cuda see a few toes
My old shoes were worn out, and my toes would stick out.
Me house pack and leaking d house hot we sleepin,
Our house used to be overcrowded and sometimes hot with poor living conditions.
We house rot we bounce back when me daddy anounce dat
After our house deteriorated, my father made an announcement, and we slowly bounced back.
We move into Portmore
We moved into Portmore, a suburb of Kingston, Jamaica.
The sun shine the sea shore,
The beautiful sun shining on the shore.
It still better but me still ah pree more,
I am grateful for the improvements in my life, but I always strive for more.
From long time me stop par with babylon
For a long time, I avoided confrontation with the authorities.
And mix guns and weed selling
Dangerous activities involving guns and drugs.
Thugs did tings fi me collar hype up and sweet smelling
My associates committed crimes to make me look important and wealthy.
Cops carraling, yelling don't move
Police yelling and cautioning me not to move.
We won't prove
We did not want to prove anything to the police.
Dem lock we up we get bail
They arrested us, but we got bail.
Nex day we set sail,
The next day, we left.
Like big ship same stuff
As in a big ship, the situation remained the same.
We muda say me name cruff
They used to call me names, but I remained tough.
But still we remain tuff
But we remained strong.
Cause better must come!
We needed to continue moving forward because there is always a brighter future.
Yo jah no steven yo mi ah likkle yute star
Jamaican Patois for 'You know Jah, Steven, you see me as a small, young star.'
Me faddah don hav ah son see wah mi ah say
My father has a son, and I am proud to say that.
Ah likkle component yet still
Even though I'm small, I have potential.
And as a yute me usually watch all me uncle
As a child, I used to watch my uncles perform as DJs and smoke weed.
Dem dj pon it and ting and yuh see me bare big man
They were DJs and smoking weed, and I was just a kid.
And dem da burn all dem weed
They were burning all the weed they smoked.
And dem ting dey as a likkle yute dawg
As a child, I looked up to them and wanted to be like them.
Yooo me nuh kno me jus wish me cuda be like dem
I didn't know it then, but I wished to be like them.
Me never know me wudda buss,
I never knew I would become successful
And thugs ah say addi d dadda
My associates referred to me as their leader.
See it dey it feel good fi buy ah house fi me mudda,
It feels good to buy a house for my mother.
When me son have birthdayz anything he want him get
I can give my son anything he wants for his birthday now.
And anonothing when me a yute ah backstroke me use get
When I was a child, I used to only get a swim in the river for my birthday.
Me use to haffi beg ah spliff ah rizzla ah cigarette,
I used to have to beg for a cigarette, rolling paper, or just a puff.
If me no hustle ah road I cud not own yet
If I didn't work hard on the street, I wouldn't have what I have now.
Me never pree fi own car me own home me own jet
I never knew I could own a car, house, or jet.
Dutty chat mek me mouth wet now me see outlet
Negative talk used to affect me, but now I see opportunities.
Inna d suffer and d hunger
In times of suffering and hunger.
Ah police name blood wan kill me wen me younger
The police almost killed me when I was young.
Him yuni have ah gun wey roolll thunder
The policeman had a gun that sounded like thunder.
Circle if he ah muder me but God say ah never fill me number
He could have killed me, but God had other plans.
Me use to pray to fadah god at night time
I used to pray to God at night.
To make me parents dem live fi see addi turn somebody
I prayed for my parents to live long enough to see me become a success.
Mi love mommy me love daddy
I love my mother and my father.
Same love me give to rahiem, and jahiem and chayen
I give the same love to my children Rahiem, Jahiem, and Chayen.
Me ah me sons daddy
I am my son's father.
Yo big man thing still, buju banton first time me go studio
Jamaican Patois for 'No lie, I first went to the studio with Buju Banton as a big man.'
And hear da yute dey me checks da DJ thing
I heard a young DJ and was interested in becoming one myself.
But me ah put dung d artist thing one time me na lie
But I put down the artist thing and pursued being a DJ.
And a next time too yooo some bwoy ah order phone
I had success in music and then with phone ordering.
Uzza pussy dem tru warrior king and dem dey buss before me
Others had success before me, including Warrior King.
DI bwoy and dem so high and baload man dey worthless
Those guys were high and had money, while other men were worthless.
Yuh see wah man ah did man like ah fool
I acted foolishly at times.
2k2 was the year ah grey dry fi ear
In 2002, it was popular to have gray-tinged dreadlocks.
KARTEL OF career like trilla me change gear
My career was like a car's transmission, I shifted gears.
Better each lyric when me member ppl use to say you na buss yuh ah gimic
I improved my music, even when people would say I was not successful, but a gimmick.
Dem affi watch me now pon dem tv
Now, they have to watch me on their TVs.
Or pay fi see me my presents no free
They have to pay to see me perform.
Nuff girls use to call addi eye and ballon
Many girls used to call me 'Addi Eye and Balloon.'
Now me walkin pon dem like floor in a room
Now, those same girls are attracted to me.
The first police wey lock me up for disrespect
The first time I was arrested was for disrespecting a police officer.
Me was a joy ask me wah me do
The officer asked me what I did.
Me say artist him say me unemployed
I replied that I was an artist, but he said I was unemployed.
Lock me up me nuh hav no lawyer
They arrested me without a lawyer.
So ah jail me sleep in and now me pass him inna bema
So, I slept in jail, but now I pass that same officer in my BMW.
Who ah d man you ah d boy?
Who is the true man and who is just a boy?
No matter who you is, where you from, who you are
Regardless of your identity, background, or status, it's important to achieve success.
Ghetto yute we need money nuff house and nuff car
As a ghetto youth, we need money, a house, and a car.
From you black you ah nigga every nigga is ah star
Regardless of whether you're treated as a 'nigga,' every black person is a star.
Who nuh like dat drop ah sleep
Whoever doesn't like that can go to sleep.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADIDJA PALMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bumi8266
Still a medz this inna 2023💯🤞🏼
@shereenthompson1481
Sickest album dis the dawg have, lyrics, flow, gimmicks, storytelling, motivation everything kartel known for is captured on this album. I swear dem time yah di dawg deh pon di pinnacle a him a him art. Whenever mi listen dis album mi affi smh tpc, still a look fi a him second i swear dis man stand alone.
@omarbrown1363
shereen thompson him stand alone youth big man thing
@anointedone5154
goose bumps listening to dem old school der...Gaza run road long tym
@Mani-td7ck
As long as I live I will always tell people about this guy. THE GREATEST.
#1DON
#CLANS
@munyaralph9607
Cops quarrel yelly yelly don’t move but won’t prove😂😂he is really the best story telling at it’s best.Jah know star
@jeroldmansfield6394
2020 still Medz on dis tune someday muss mek it in life
@delonthomas2772
Tuff tuff kartel is way big than dancehall
@neo501no
I thought I was the only one who saw this. Cause I rate Mavado and a lot of other DJs. But I prefer Kartel cause his lyrics stands up better to analysis. His employment of similes, metaphors, and allusions are unlike any artiste in the business. Vado has a better voice but Vybz is way more creative. I think most people need to stop dissing the artiste on here cause we don't know them personally. We must learn appreciate artiste for their talents which most of us don't possess.
@dx7354
2020