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.
Poor People Land
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mi caan believe it.Government waan fi move mi. Mi tun refugee inna mi owna country.
But a long long time mi live yaso cant go no weh.Dem really tek poor people fi fool,dem really tek poor people fi fool.
Cho
Oui misa babylon a weh u get da system yah from? buldosa dung poor people land jah know seh mi nah vote again(no sah)
Cah di MP dont give a damn.A weh u get da system yah from? bout seh mi live pon squatta land.True mi dont rich like Mattalon(no sah).Mi a born Jamaican
Verse1
Mi nave no weh fi go,mi born and me grown yah so inna di ghetto.Bigga heads beg u a bligh no mi caan buy a house uppa cherry garden.Ashes to ashes and dust to dust,the tribulation inna di ghetto is a must.Mi neva qualify fi no house in trust cah mi loose all a mi money inna cash plus.But mi know seh mi a born jamaican mi deh yah from slavery as a African. Sumadey tell me weh Mattalon come from fi own suh much land inna wi island. Misa Chin go back a Japan cah Jah jah mek yah fi di black man.From Morrant Point to Negril Point from St Thomas to Westmoreland.(Repeat Chorus)
Verse 2
A yah so mi pickney born so dem no know nowhere else.Government care bout dem den nuh cah mi know you no care fi di parents.Mi beg yuh lease mi da piece a land yah. Nave no problem fi pay rent.Runcome give mi your eviction notice cah poor dont have no patience.Mi know seh mi a born Jamaican mi deh yah from slavery as a African.Sumadey tell mi weh Mattalon come from fi own suh much land inna wi island.Misa Chin,go back a Japan cah Jah Jah mek yah fi di black man. From Morrant Point to Negril Point from St Thomas to Westmoreland.(Repeat Chorus)
Intro(Chorus)
The song "Poor People Land" by Vybz Kartel is a social commentary on the struggles of the poor and underprivileged living in Jamaica. The lyrics express the frustration and helplessness of those who cannot afford their own homes and are forced to live on squatter lands. The government is criticized for neglecting the needs of the poor and not providing affordable housing options. The song also questions the distribution of wealth in Jamaica and the unfair advantage given to those who come from wealthier backgrounds.
The chorus of the song addresses those in power and questions the origin of the system that oppresses the poor. It claims that politicians and members of parliament do not care about the struggles of the common people and instead prioritize their own interests. The verses emphasize the struggle of the artist and many others who have been born and raised in the ghetto, with no option to move out due to the lack of affordable housing options. It also mentions the unfair distribution of land in Jamaica and questions how some individuals come to own such large amounts of land while the poor struggle to make ends meet.
Line by Line Meaning
Mi caan believe it.
I am in disbelief.
Government waan fi move mi.
The government wants to evict me from my home.
Mi tun refugee inna mi owna country.
I have become a refugee in my own country.
But a long long time mi live yaso cant go no weh.
I have lived here for a long time and have nowhere else to go.
Dem really tek poor people fi fool,dem really tek poor people fi fool.
The government is taking advantage of poor people and thinks they are ignorant.
Oui misa babylon a weh u get da system yah from?
Where did you get this oppressive system, Babylon?
buldosa dung poor people land jah know seh mi nah vote again(no sah)
You are destroying land that belongs to poor people and I will not vote again.
Cah di MP dont give a damn.
Because the Member of Parliament doesn't care about us.
True mi dont rich like Mattalon(no sah).Mi a born Jamaican
I am not wealthy like Mattalon but I am still a Jamaican.
Mi nave no weh fi go,mi born and me grown yah so inna di ghetto.
I have nowhere else to go, I was born and raised in the ghetto.
Bigga heads beg u a bligh no mi caan buy a house uppa cherry garden.
I cannot afford to buy a house in Cherry Garden and I am asking for your help.
Ashes to ashes and dust to dust,the tribulation inna di ghetto is a must.
Living in the ghetto is a harsh reality that one cannot escape from.
Mi neva qualify fi no house in trust cah mi loose all a mi money inna cash plus.
I do not qualify for a house loan from the government because I lost all my money in Cash Plus.
Sumadey tell me weh Mattalon come from fi own suh much land inna wi island.
Someone please explain how Mattalon acquired so much land on our island.
Misa Chin go back a Japan cah Jah jah mek yah fi di black man.
Mr. Chin should go back to Japan since this island was created for black people by Jah.
A yah so mi pickney born so dem no know nowhere else.
My children were born here and do not know anywhere else.
Government care bout dem den nuh cah mi know you no care fi di parents.
The government cares more about my children than me, their parent.
Mi beg yuh lease mi da piece a land yah.
I am begging you to lease me a piece of land here.
Nave no problem fi pay rent.
I have no issue with paying rent.
Runcome give mi your eviction notice cah poor dont have no patience.
Don't serve me with an eviction notice because poor people have no patience.
From Morrant Point to Negril Point from St Thomas to Westmoreland.
From one end of Jamaica to the other.
Contributed by Owen T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@williammutetachikwashi8305
It's 2024 whose listening to this song?
@mmbm17th
uppp and running 🆙
@erwanjavaudin6378
🤙🏼
@hullphillip5386
Miiiiiii
@paulsolera2154
Yoooo
@paulsolera2154
🇯🇲🇯🇲
@hildanapo4817
2024 who's still here❤
@tinaswaby9501
It’s 2024 who’s listening
@richardgilian4816
It’s 2024 who’s listening to this masterpiece ❤
@godwillchemonges9065
Aire