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.
Nuh Trust Dem
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me cyaa believe
Police lock up di taxi man
Weh a hustle fi him family
That's why people ah dead like dog
Officer!
Ah survivor ting
Beg yuh ah bligh fi di coaster driver dem
At that time
Suh bloodclaat hard
Yuh tek ghetto people dem fi cartoon
Time weh yuh spend ah try fi ban chune
Spend da time deh fi build poor people house
Cah nuff ah we still ah kotch up inna one room
Wah happen to di nurse ah public hospital
Weh government ah treat like dem ah likkle gyal
Mash up cashplus through ah poor people ting
And yuh nah sentence white collar criminal
Chicken back rate and pickney fi feed
School fee raise and me yute wah fi read
Import product fi mash up di farmer
Me ah seh every farmer guh plant weed
People ah work hard fi four grand a week
Yute left school nah have nuh job fi seek
Me nuh see nuh factory ah build
But a new prison open last week
Poor people
Dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like
We mek money abroad
Dem extradite we
Cah dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like
Without di taxi man dem
Stop fight we
Cah dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like we
Dem raise di toll more, over portmore
Sabatoge me
Dat mean dem nuh like we (like we)
Me granny follow up di system
Dem treat her like garbage
Father work fi 25 years
Just fi pay off di mortgage
Ghetto yute life don't mean nuttin to dem
Five ah day ah di average
Dem ah work we like slave
Minimum wage ah di bondage (bondage)
Then poverty is such ah heavy load
Wah happen to di people dem weh ah sweep road
Why dem fight rasta man inna di street
And use rasta image pon tourist board
Memba me know di pen is mighty than di sword
Low di taxi man dem cah yuh nah fix di road
From yuh ban di Rompin Shop
Yuh haffi ban carnival
Pon tv yeah
Every episode
Poor people
Dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like
We mek money abroad
Dem extradite we
Cah dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like
Without di taxi man dem
Stop fight we
Cah dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like we
Dem raise di toll more, over portmore
Sabatoge me
Dat mean dem nuh like we (like we)
Me cyaa believe
Police lock up di taxi man
Weh a hustle fi him family
That's why people ah dead like dog
Officer!
Ah survivor ting
Beg yuh ah bligh fi di coaster driver dem
Memba dem ah have dem pickney fi feed
Time suh bloodclaat hard
Poor people
Dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like
We mek money abroad
Dem extradite we
Cah dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like
Without di taxi man dem
Stop fight we
Cah dem nuh like we
No dem nuh like we
Dem raise di toll more, over portmore
Sabatoge me
Dat mean dem nuh like we (like we)
The lyrics of Vybz Kartel's song "Nuh Trust Dem" are a social commentary on the struggles and injustices faced by the poor and working-class people of Jamaica. The song highlights the corruption and neglect of those in power, who prioritize their own interests over those of the people they are supposed to serve. The lyrics express the frustration and distrust that Jamaican citizens feel towards their politicians, law enforcement, and other authority figures who they see as being out of touch with their struggles.
The first verse specifically references the arrest of a taxi driver who was just trying to make a living to support his family. The singer condemns the police for prioritizing minor crimes instead of focusing on the root causes of the country's problems, which have led to high rates of poverty and violence. The lyrics also criticize the government for neglecting public services like healthcare and education, while prioritizing profitable industries over the needs of the people.
The chorus repeats the phrase "poor people dem nuh like we" which highlights the social divide between the wealthy and the impoverished in Jamaica. The song asserts that the government and other authority figures do not care about the struggles of those in poverty, and in fact, actively work against them. The lyrics call for solidarity among the poor and working-class people of Jamaica, urging them to support each other in the face of these challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Stephen ah di genius
Stephen is a genius
Me cyaa believe
I can't believe
Police lock up di taxi man
Police have arrested the taxi driver
Weh a hustle fi him family
Who was working hard to support his family
That's why people ah dead like dog
This is why people are dying like animals
Officer!
Calling out to the police officer
Ah survivor ting
It's all about survival
Beg yuh ah bligh fi di coaster driver dem
Please have mercy on the minibus drivers
Memba dem ah have dem pickney fi feed
Remember they have children to feed
At that time
During those difficult times
Suh bloodclaat hard
It's extremely difficult
Yuh tek ghetto people dem fi cartoon
You treat people from impoverished areas like cartoon characters
Time weh yuh spend ah try fi ban chune
The time you spend trying to ban music
Spend da time deh fi build poor people house
Spend that time building houses for the underprivileged
Cah nuff ah we still ah kotch up inna one room
Because many of us are still living in cramped spaces
Wah happen to di nurse ah public hospital
What happened to the nurses working in public hospitals
Weh government ah treat like dem ah likkle gyal
Who the government is treating poorly
Mash up cashplus through ah poor people ting
Destroying Cash Plus and affecting poor people
And yuh nah sentence white collar criminal
While letting white-collar criminals go scot-free
Chicken back rate and pickney fi feed
The cost of chicken backs is high and children need to eat
School fee raise and me yute wah fi read
School fees have increased when kids desperately need an education
Import product fi mash up di farmer
Importing products that ruin local farming businesses
Me ah seh every farmer guh plant weed
I'm saying every farmer should switch to growing cannabis
People ah work hard fi four grand a week
People are working hard just to earn $4000 a week
Yute left school nah have nuh job fi seek
Young people who leave school have no job opportunities
Me nuh see nuh factory ah build
I don't see any factories being built
But a new prison open last week
But a new prison has just opened
Poor people
People living in poverty
Dem nuh like we
They don't like us
No dem nuh like we
No, they really don't like us
We mek money abroad
We earn money overseas
Dem extradite we
They are extraditing us
Without di taxi man dem
Without the taxi drivers
Stop fight we
Stop fighting us
Dem raise di toll more, over portmore
They've increased the toll for Portmore residents
Sabatoge me
Sabotaging me
Dat mean dem nuh like we (like we)
That means they really don't like us
Me granny follow up di system
My grandma is following the set rules
Dem treat her like garbage
Yet, they are treating her badly
Father work fi 25 years
My father has worked for 25 years
Just fi pay off di mortgage
Just to pay off the mortgage
Ghetto yute life don't mean nuttin to dem
The lives of ghetto youths don't matter to them
Five ah day ah di average
Five deaths a day is the average
Dem ah work we like slave
They are working us like slaves
Minimum wage ah di bondage (bondage)
Paying minimum wages is enslavement
Then poverty is such ah heavy load
Poverty is an insurmountable burden
Wah happen to di people dem weh ah sweep road
What about the sanitation workers
Why dem fight rasta man inna di street
Why are they harassing Rastafarians on the streets
And use rasta image pon tourist board
While using Rasta imagery in tourism campaigns
Memba me know di pen is mighty than di sword
Remember that the pen is mightier than the sword
Low di taxi man dem cah yuh nah fix di road
Leave the taxi drivers alone because you're not repairing the roads
From yuh ban di Rompin Shop
Ever since you banned the Rompin Shop
Yuh haffi ban carnival
You had to ban Carnival
Pon tv yeah
On television
Every episode
In every episode
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADIDJA PALMER, STEPHEN MCGREGOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lincolnhunter5524
2014....I WAS IN JAMAICA 4 ONE MONTH 4 MY FATHERS FUNERAL.... THIS WAS THE SOUNDTRACK OF THE ISLAND... EVERYWHERE YOU TURNED VYBZ WAS BEEN PLAYED..... HARD 2 FORGET.. BUT EASY TO REMEMBER..... ❤️💚💛🙏🏽
@stewtrs
🔥🔥🔥💯
@sharhondacollins4010
One of the realest vibes. Why trust people? What people dnt knw cnt hurt us!!! Love it!!!!!!❤💞❤💞❤
@adannateeddale8392
This one will forever be a big hit is everyday we living it seeing how we cant trust people, family, friends, siblings, mother,father, jah know it said when ppl betray
@vanessacarby5044
Anthem for 2020!! This can't get old 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@colinbernard86
2022....🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹🇹
@empressriley2954
,
@1988floyd
Still listening in 2030!🔥🔥🔥
@raycharles1higrade
Its 2020 Now #FullyGaza...
@madelynpowe7503
Lmfao futuristic