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 Tree
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Weh mi granny tell me
Money cya buy love
Money, money, money, money cya buy love
Money, money, money, money cya buy love
But me nuh care caz a money me love
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
Hold on,
Sow di garden, reap demandly
Sam shop flowers a bush fi boil tea
Da nalsangsta flowers tek long fi bare
So mi pick two blossom off a di nanny tree
Di pound tek long fi grow me agree
It need nuff manure and a lot a ferty
Me have a flowers weh name sharea
Everytime it blossom is a sure five G's
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
Me a di nanny money cultivator
Plant up it now, it a blossom later
When it come to farming
Money a di issure
Me nuh wah no toilet tissue
Dat a Bounty paper
Spread money cross a hundred acre
Me love di money like how mi love Jamaica
Me plant dollar coin all a Nova Scotia
And collect a million when di harvest ova
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
Hold on,
Sow di garden, reap demandly
Sam shop flowers a bush fi boil tea
Da nalsangsta flowers tek long fi bare
So mi pick two blossom off a di nanny tree
Di pound tek long fi grow me agree
It need nuff manure and a lot a ferty
Me have a flowers weh name sharea
Everytime it blossom is a sure five G's
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
Vybz Kartel's Money Tree is a song that speaks about the love for money and the desire to attain it. In the first verse, he quotes his grandmother's words, saying that no amount of money can purchase love. However, he declares his disinterest in love and his love for money. Kartel goes on to describe planting a money tree in his garden and investing time and resources into growing it. The second verse describes how he tends to the money tree, using manure and fertilizer to help it grow, and the anticipation of the harvest.
The chorus is catchy and repeats the same message over and over again, highlighting the love for money and the obsession with counting it. The bridge of the song delves deeper into the planting process, with Kartel discussing how he plants dollar coins in Nova Scotia and collects a million dollars once the harvest is over. In conclusion, the song captures the essence of the love for money and how people will go to great lengths to obtain it.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo,
Hey,
Weh mi granny tell me
What my grandmother told me
Money cya buy love
Money cannot buy love
Money, money, money, money cya buy love
Money cannot buy love
Money, money, money, money cya buy love
Money cannot buy love
But me nuh care caz a money me love
But I don't care because I love money
If nobody loves me (loves me)
If nobody loves me
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Money loves me as much as I love it
Me wah count money like crazy
I want to count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
So I go into the garden to find a money tree
Hold on,
Wait,
Sow di garden, reap demandly
Plant the garden and harvest each crop diligently
Sam shop flowers a bush fi boil tea
Some shop for flowers in the bushes to boil tea
Da nalsangsta flowers tek long fi bare
Those stubborn flowers take long to bear fruit
So mi pick two blossom off a di nanny tree
So I pick two blossoms off a nanny tree
Di pound tek long fi grow me agree
The pound takes a long time to grow, but I agree
It need nuff manure and a lot a ferty
It needs a lot of manure and fertilizer
Me have a flowers weh name sharea
I have flowers named Sharea
Everytime it blossom is a sure five G's
Every time it blossoms, I am assured of five thousand dollars
Me a di nanny money cultivator
I am the cultivator of the nanny tree's money
Plant up it now, it a blossom later
Plant it now and it will blossom later
When it come to farming
When it comes to farming
Money a di issure
Money is the issue
Me nuh wah no toilet tissue
I don't want any toilet tissue
Dat a Bounty paper
That is Bounty paper
Spread money cross a hundred acre
Spread money over one hundred acres
Me love di money like how mi love Jamaica
I love money as much as I love Jamaica
Me plant dollar coin all a Nova Scotia
I plant dollar coins all over Nova Scotia
And collect a million when di harvest ova
And collect a million dollars when the harvest is over
If nobody loves me (loves me)
If nobody loves me
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Money loves me as much as I love it
Me wah count money like crazy
I want to count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
So I go into the garden to find a money tree
Writer(s): ADIDJA PALMER
Contributed by Aaron O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@danielvillalobos8552
Yo,
Weh mi granny tell me
Money cya buy love
Money, money, money, money cya buy love
Money, money, money, money cya buy love
But me nuh care caz a money me love
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
Hold on,
Sow di garden, reap demandly
Sam shop flowers a bush fi boil tea
Da nalsangsta flowers tek long fi bare
So mi pick two blossom off a di nanny tree
Di pound tek long fi grow me agree
It need nuff manure and a lot a ferty
Me have a flowers weh name sharea
Everytime it blossom is a sure five G's
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
Me a di nanny money cultivator
Plant up it now, it a blossom later
When it come to farming
Money a di issure
Me nuh wah no toilet tissue
Dat a Bounty paper
Spread money cross a hundred acre
Me love di money like how mi love Jamaica
Me plant dollar coin all a Nova Scotia
And collect a million when di harvest ova
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
Hold on,
Sow di garden, reap demandly
Sam shop flowers a bush fi boil tea
Da nalsangsta flowers tek long fi bare
So mi pick two blossom off a di nanny tree
Di pound tek long fi grow me agree
It need nuff manure and a lot a ferty
Me have a flowers weh name sharea
Everytime it blossom is a sure five G's
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
If nobody loves me (loves me)
Me love money, money love me (love me)
Me wah count money like crazy
So me go inna di garden fi a money tree
@sosachappaguzman1054
I cry when I listen to this song. 😭😢📞🤑🏠🛩💸🍀 I Guess this song remind me of all the sacrifices I made to achieve my goals.
@Lagos555
Believe bro nuff pain an sacrifice💔🇺🇸🙏
@jaymarshall2534
Still listening 2024
@timothymachinya1562
Boom boom my hourly anthem now lol.... Much respect for the teacher
@tawanarose1044
Lol my first time listening this song... I love it
@deni.b4577
2020 and we still with Di money tree 🔥🔥🔥👌🏾🇳🇦
@GazaSparta
Tr888
@kiyoshikimurakagome8085
Costa Rica 🇨🇷 2022
@lifetimeechoes5475
How comes this didn't reach billboard still excellent in 2018
@joesheridan9451
This is a drop in the kartel ocean. Hundreds of bangers most people will never hear