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.

Live U Life
Vybz Kartel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Down (down to di minute)
Some gyal pop down
See me a seh (some gyal pop down)
(Weh you a seh?)
You know it's Kartel (I know) (some gyal pop down)
Dem gyal angel (right away)
See me a seh (weh y'ah seh again?) (Down, some gyal pop down)
Because of yuh flavoration (uh-huh) (some gyal pop down)

Is next to none other (wow) (some gyal pop down)
And another next to my mother (eeh)

Some gyal dem badmind
Ten time twenty-nine, nuh mind
Fi yuh magnificent design, so fine
Like a Benz wid di Bentley sign, refine
Dem a gorilla, documentary time
Like granulated sugar (why?), You refine, divine
Yuh beauty words couldn't define, do di wine
So no guy cyaan' leff you cryin'
Kill dem wid di FU sign

Gyal, you a live di life
Gi' a gyal di knife, you a di wife
Yuh man ready fi mek di sacrifice
When yuh wrong, him do you right
Weh yuh dress up inna ever fit you right
And yuh eva ready fi di video light
Gyal, you a live di life
Gi' a gyal di knife, you a di wife
Yuh man ready fi mek di sacrifice
When yuh wrong, him do you right
Weh yuh dress up inna ever fit you right
And yuh eva ready fi di video light

Dem grudge yuh
True yuh get di vista, shawty (and)
Yuh deh a platinum at six a party (and)
You know fourteen plus twenty-six a forty
She only see school when she a pass Clan Carty (and)
Diss yuh? Kick her like karate (and)
Nuh true she look old and tough like Barkey (and)
Nuh true yuh boasty like British hierarchy
Yuh pretty but yuh badda dan Illuminati

Gyal, you a live di life
Gi' a gyal di knife, you a di wife
Yuh man ready fi mek di sacrifice
When yuh wrong, him do you right
Weh yuh dress up inna ever fit you right
And yuh eva ready fi di video light
Gyal, you a live di life
Gi' a gyal di knife, you a di wife
Yuh man ready fi mek di sacrifice
When yuh wrong, him do you right
Weh yuh dress up inna ever fit you right
And yuh eva ready fi di video light

Dem badmind
Ten time twenty-nine, nuh mind
Fi yuh magnificent design, so fine
Like a Benz wid di Bentley sign, refine
Dem a gorilla, documentary time
Like granulated sugar (why?), You refine, divine
Yuh beauty words couldn't define, do di wine
So no guy cyaan' leff you cryin'
Kill dem wid di FU sign

Gyal, you a live di life
Gi' a gyal di knife, you a di wife
Yuh man ready fi mek di sacrifice
When yuh wrong, him do you right
Weh yuh dress up inna ever fit you right
And yuh eva ready fi di video light
Gyal, you a live di life
Gi' a gyal di knife, you a di wife
Yuh man ready fi mek di sacrifice
When yuh wrong, him do you right
Weh yuh dress up inna ever fit you right
And yuh eva ready fi di video light

Dem grudge you
True yuh get di vista, shawty (and)
Yuh deh a platinum at six a party (and)
You know fourteen plus twenty-six a forty
She only see school when she a pass Clan Carty (and)
Diss yuh? Kick her like karate (and)
Nuh true she look old and tough like Barkey (and)
Nuh true yuh boasty like British hierarchy
Yuh pretty but yuh badda dan Illuminati

Gyal, you a live di life
Gi' a gyal di knife, you a di wife
Yuh man ready fi mek di sacrifice
When yuh wrong, him do you right
Weh yuh dress up inna ever fit you right
And yuh eva ready fi di video light
Gyal, you a live di life
Gi' a gyal di knife, you a di wife
Yuh man ready fi mek di sacrifice
When yuh wrong, him do you right

Weh yuh dress up inna ever fit you right
And yuh eva ready fi di video light

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Vybz Kartel's "Live U Life" speak to the double standards in society, where everyone wants to be a killer and a sinner instead of living a good life. The persona in the song acknowledges the societal pressures to be materialistic and encourages listeners to live their lives fully and strive to be good instead of solely pursuing wealth. The song also highlights the harsh reality of the ghetto, where people are forced to hustle and fend for themselves, and the police are pushing crime instead of stopping it. It is a call to live life to the fullest and not lose sight of what truly matters.

The verses in the song can be interpreted as a commentary on the toxic masculinity present in society. The persona notes that everyone wants to be a killer, and society rewards them for their violent and criminal behavior by giving them material possessions such as a Bimma, while good guys come last. The persona suggests that this mentality is damaging to society and encourages listeners to look beyond material possessions and prioritize their personal growth and well-being.

Overall, "Live U Life" is a commentary on the societal pressures to conform to certain standards and the importance of living a meaningful and fulfilling life. It encourages listeners to strive for their best and not give up on their dreams, despite the challenges they may face.

Line by Line Meaning

Everybody waan be a killer
Everyone wants to be tough and feared.

Nobody no waan be a good guy
Being a good person is not valued as much as being a tough person.

But still a good guy ever come dead last while winner a di sinner
Good people often do not succeed while bad people do.

Caw a him get di Bimma
The person who does bad things gets rewarded with a BMW.

Di beginner never inna Mansion on di hill and gyal a nam di banana
Beginners start from the bottom and do not have as much success or recognition as established people.

Yo swear a gorilla, him wuk more than a pillow
Acting tough does not mean anything if one does not work hard.

Ice conch meck thugs feel chiller
Having diamonds and jewelry makes tough people feel even tougher.

Get a couple business, couple 18th villa
Getting involved in business and owning multiple properties is a symbol of success.

Di evil that men do live after dem
The negative impact of bad deeds will linger after one's death.

While di good is intern wid di bone
The positive impact of good deeds is not always recognized or remembered.

Mi naw left di chromes
I will not leave my valuable possessions behind.

Mi wi do di thing and tek di charges like all cellphones
I will take responsibility for my actions and handle the consequences.

Kids tek notes, di wages of sin is death
Children should learn that doing bad things will lead to negative consequences.

But di ending a life is death
Killing someone will only result in the death of the killer as well.

So mi tek a interest in living best
I am focused on living my life to the fullest and being successful.

Cause fi impress, house fi invest
Being successful is important for impressing others and investing in a home.

No princess, so di thing set
I am not royalty, so I have to work hard to be successful.

Push music, di range
I promote my music and drive a Range Rover.

Still push few more zeek and mi don't get di rims yet
I am working hard to get the rims that I want for my car.

Couple speakers, couple hams, fling in di big set
I have a big sound system with expensive speakers and amplifiers.

Big set, that's what mi listening
I love playing my music on my big sound system.

Diamonds glistening, when me pass girls whistling
Women are attracted to me when they see my diamond jewelry sparkling.

Isn't he cute dem say hee, Addi di teacher
People find me attractive and call me the teacher.

Deh pon di juggling
I am busy hustling and working hard.

Mi deh pon di juggling
I am constantly working hard to make money.

Mi no have no conscience when mi si di kids struggling
I am willing to do anything to make money, even if it means exploiting children.

Mi left di pot pon di stove di water bubbling
I leave things cooking on the stove while I am busy hustling.

Road, mi no left mi dawg and if yo trouble mi yo trouble him
I keep my friends close and will protect them if they are in trouble.

Double standard every way
Life is unfair and there are double standards in society.

Mi no pay dem no mind
I do not listen to what others say or think about me.

Mi a gwaan do mine, police a push crime
I am focused on making money while cops focus on stopping crime.

Man a step pon crime, dem naw stop fi dem hustling but mine
Other people commit crimes while still being able to make money, but the police focus only on stopping me.

Don't stop it, yuh wont profit
If you stop hustling, you will not make any money.

Di whole graphic is this
The reality of life is like this - unfair and unjust.

Is why dem don't love it
People do not like the truth about how unfair life can be.

When ghetto youth meck money dem waan di whole of it
Once poor people start making money, others want to take it all from them.

But it naw go work, worst things mi wi burst it
I will not let anyone take everything from me, and will do whatever it takes to protect what I have.

Don't get trick by conscience
Do not let your moral compass stop you from making money.

When yuh a hustle caw yo naw meck one cent
If you do not focus on making money, you will not have any.

For di pockets of yo jeans or yo plancent
Making money is important so that you can have nice things and live comfortably.

And that a nonsense living with financial absent
Living without enough money is ridiculous and not something to aspire to.

Di mount a things that man in di tint up balck Benz
The expensive car with dark-tinted windows shows off how successful I am.

Wit that yellow plate look never occur to yuh
People are envious of my success and do not realize how much hard work it takes.

Dem a jacket and tie while yuh di goroo
People who wear suits to work do not work as hard or make as much money as me.

Live your life to di fullest
Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way.

And never yuh do lest
Never let anyone else tell you what to do or how to live your life.

Nor weh yo mind tell yo
Follow your instincts and listen to your own thoughts and feelings.

So wa if yuh waan seh da
Do not care what others think or say about you.

Every night paw tv drugs dem a sell yo
Take caution in what you watch on TV, as it may influence you negatively.

Ask yo doctor bout this, ask yo doctor bout that
Do not rely on medical professionals for everything - do your own research.

Ask mi bout ti by di pound
If you want to know about buying marijuana, ask me.

By di keys x and r
I also sell drugs such as ecstasy and heroin.

Liquid dem a lock down di system
Drug dealers have control over the black market for drugs.

Try meck your money quick kid
Making money quickly is important, especially when selling illegal drugs.

Everybody waan get lifted
Everyone wants to get high on drugs or alcohol.

Young gifted and black, wi no form a money that wicked
Even talented black people have to work hard to make money because of the unfairness of society.

Listen, mi naw stop look it
I will keep working hard and never stop striving for success.

If it is missing, I took it
If something is missing, I may have taken it to sell or gain profit.

All a di treasure me after
I am working hard to gain wealth and treasure for the future.

That's when mi dead my kids dem fi prosper
When I die, I want my children to have the wealth and resources to succeed and be prosperous.

A di teach
This is my lesson to teach - that success comes from hard work and dedication.

Lyrics © Royalty Network, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Adidja Palmer, Andre Gray, Donovan Bennett, Victan Edmund

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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