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.
Money Isn't All
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Little girls an little boys
Sing this song with joy
Money isn't all right
But getting it is alright
The tredder tredder
She loves my car
So she wanna do it all night
Easy doe's it girl u love it
Don't go out with people outfit
Nariel kiss Gucci pelvis
Living di star life must bi Elvis
Pay di landlord fi buy di building
German vehicle space ship engine
Blood blood diamonds Jewish jewelry
Me an a white girl puffing a tubby
I'm not done yet neither day jet
Now is di right time Rolex bracelet
Buy up some horses how many race left
Go every Watsons so mi a place bets
Send fi kyra come a di states yes
Higher than high school look pon dem grades deh
Get some computer build up a place yeh
Teach di Gaza youths bill up dem brains yeh
Money isn't all worst when life is gone
Little girls an little boys
Sing this song with joy
Money isn't all right
But getting it is alright
The tredder tredder
She loves my car
So she wanna do it all night
I let her let her
Money isn't all right
But getting it is alright
The tredder tredder
She loves my car
So she wanna do it all night
I let let her
What is di motive getting a house bid
Money being counting high as a mountain
Life is a journey roler coasting
Yes to the sadness wish yo not hoping
Today's better navidaloking
Champagne toasting
High grade smoking
Loving di best girls getting di most kids
School is an playgrounds
Toys an do skis
Money isn't all worst when life is gone
Little girls an little boys
Sing this song with joy
Money isn't all right
But getting it is alright
The tredder tredder
She loves my car
So she wanna do it all night
I let her let her
Money isn't all right
But getting it is alright
The tredder tredder
She loves my car
So she wanna do it all night
I let her let her
In Vybz Kartel's song "Money Isn't All," he speaks to the idea that while money isn't everything, it is certainly something to pursue. The first verse touches on the fact that having money can bring temporary joy and pleasure, but ultimately, it is not enough to fulfill or sustain life. He encourages young people to sing the song with joy, reminding them that money isn't everything but also that it's okay to strive for it. In the second verse, he goes on to discuss the different ways people go about making and spending money, from buying cars and jewelry to investing in property and crypto.
While the song can be seen as promoting materialism, it also provides a nuanced perspective on the role of money in life. Ultimately, the most powerful message of the song is that life is about balance. It's not enough to simply pursue money, nor is it healthy to reject it entirely. Finding a balance between enjoying life's pleasures without becoming consumed by them is key.
Line by Line Meaning
Money isn't all worst when life is gone
Money is not the most important thing in life when you are dead.
Little girls an little boys
Even young children can learn that money is not everything.
Sing this song with joy
Spread this message with happiness and positivity.
Money isn't all right
Money is not the solution to everything.
But getting it is alright
Working to earn money is not a bad thing.
The tredder tredder
The rhythm of the music is continuous.
She loves my car
She is attracted to material possessions and wealth.
So she wanna do it all night
She wants to engage in sexual activity because of my wealth and possessions.
I let her let her
I allow her to do what she wants because of my wealth and power.
Easy doe's it girl u love it
Take it easy, you enjoy the lifestyle I provide for you.
Don't go out with people outfit
Stay away from others who do not have the same lifestyle as us.
Nariel kiss Gucci pelvis
We indulge in luxury items like designer clothing and accessories.
Living di star life must bi Elvis
Living the life of a celebrity is like being Elvis Presley.
Pay di landlord fi buy di building
Use your money to buy your own property rather than constantly paying rent.
German vehicle space ship engine
Drive luxury German cars with powerful engines.
Blood blood diamonds Jewish jewelry
Wear expensive jewelry with diamonds, even if their origins are unethical.
Me an a white girl puffing a tubby
I am romantically involved with a white woman who also indulges in consuming cannabis.
I'm not done yet neither day jet
I still have more to achieve despite already being successful.
Now is di right time Rolex bracelet
It is the perfect time to purchase and wear luxury items like Rolex bracelets.
Buy up some horses how many race left
Invest in racehorses and make money from them while they still have races left in their career.
Go every Watsons so mi a place bets
Visit every betting location to increase my chances of winning.
Send fi kyra come a di states yes
Bring Kyra to the United States to join me in my luxurious lifestyle.
Higher than high school look pon dem grades deh
Education is important, and we should strive for higher grades than what we achieved in high school.
Get some computer build up a place yeh
Investing in technology and building a business is a smart way to make money.
Teach di Gaza youths bill up dem brains yeh
It is important to educate and empower the youth in our community.
What is di motive getting a house bid
What is the goal behind buying a house?
Money being counting high as a mountain
People place too much importance on how much money they have.
Life is a journey roler coasting
Life has its ups and downs, and we should enjoy the ride.
Yes to the sadness wish yo not hoping
Even when things are tough, we should not lose hope.
Today's better navidaloking
Today is great and we should appreciate it.
Champagne toasting
Celebrating with luxury items like champagne makes life more enjoyable.
High grade smoking
Indulging in high-quality cannabis enhances life.
Loving di best girls getting di most kids
Being with the best partners and having many children is a sign of success.
School is an playgrounds
Education can be fun, like playing on a playground.
Toys an do skis
Just like toys, skiing and other fun activities are a part of life.
Writer(s): Adidja Azim Palmer, Elvis Ricordo Redwood, Simon Fraser Howden
Contributed by Alaina O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kevin Wilson
Vybz Kartel is one of the most influential teacher in dancehall history just listen keenly to the words of this man's songs they're so motivating and inspiring once you can pick out sense out of reasoning you'll know ...
Brocco 420 TV
MOST UNDERRATED SONG IN THE WHOLE UNIVERSE...I play this song everytime am around but most of them still dont get it ,,,, π₯π₯π₯π₯ ,, π°πͺπ°πͺπ°πͺπ΅π―
Tony Brown
Real talk, am here in portmore nuff a mi fren dem, like the other new vybz
Topha
π°πͺβ€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ
Bird Person
π°πͺπββοΈππ½ππ½
QueenM. ππ
OMG yes!! Can we be friends? ππ
Brocco 420 TV
β@QueenM. ππno problem
Sniper Smith
One of Worl Boss Timeless Classic Hits that gives you a everlasting feeling
collins Rvssian
This song still rocking 2nd aug 2022.
Addi Teacher is the most talented artiste in dancehall. Jail curtailed his prowess.
TIMELESS.!!!!
ItachiUchia The Soul King
This song is so underrated 2020 still rocking to this song!