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.
Rep
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All souljas
Tell some bombohole diss
Death before dishonor
Cyaa style me, worst mother
You nuh bad like me believe mi dawg
A nuh joking thing believe mi dawg
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
And if mi poor naw dweet fi mi rich
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
And if mi poor naw dweet fi mi rich
Never sell out yaw man
Nuff inform pon the don yaw man
A one don yaw man
Mi a real badman yah man
Mi run joke yaw man
But mi nuh tek coke yaw man
Yo cyaa dis yaw man
In a yo face gyal piss yaw man
Jamaica a nuh just beach yaw man
Dawg wi nuh run squelch yaw man
Watch yo speech yaw man
In a yo house mi wi reach yaw man
A true you nuh know yaw man
You wi turn duppy show yaw man
Ask all a yo friend yaw man
Bout the one don dem yaw man
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
And if mi poor naw dweet fi mi rich
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
And if mi poor naw dweet fi mi rich
Never sell out the don yaw man
Nuff inform fi no man yaw man
A one don yaw man
Mi a real badman yah man
Mi run joke yaw man
But mi nuh tek coke yaw man
Yo cyaa dis yaw man
In a yo face gyal piss yaw man
Jamaica a nuh just beach yaw man
Dawg wi nuh run squelch yaw man
Watch yo speech yaw man
In a yo house mi wi reach yaw man
A true you nuh know yaw man
You wi turn duppy show yaw man
Ask all a yo friend yaw man
Bout the one don dem yaw man
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
And if mi poor naw dweet fi mi rich
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
Never snitch, never be a snitch
And if mi poor naw dweet fi mi rich
The song "Rep" by Vybz Kartel is a hard-hitting and aggressive track that talks about the importance of loyalty and honor in the world of gangs and violence. The song is from the artist's "King of the Dancehall" album, which was released in 2016. The song makes use of an intense instrumentation with a heavy drum beat and harsh synths, perfectly complementing the rough and rugged flow of the artist's rhymes.
The main message of the song is that there is no greater disgrace than snitching or betraying your gang or comrades. Kartel emphasizes the importance of maintaining one's honor and reputation, even if it means death. According to him, it is better to die with honor than to live as a snitch or betrayer.
Throughout the song, Kartel uses aggressive and explicit language, almost daring anyone to challenge his reputation and honor. The artist uses Jamaican patois, which can be difficult for some listeners to understand but adds to the authenticity of the song's message.
Line by Line Meaning
You Gaza
Vybz Kartel is affiliated with the Gaza gang
All souljas
Addressing his fellow gang members as warriors who never back down
Tell some bombohole diss
Challenging anyone who dares to disrespect or challenge him and his gang
Death before dishonor
Emphasizing the importance of loyalty and standing up for oneself, even if it means dying for it
Cyaa style me, worst mother
No one can imitate him or try to bring him down
You nuh bad like me believe mi dawg
No one is as tough or fearless as him
A nuh joking thing believe mi dawg
He is serious about his gang affiliation and will not take it lightly
Never snitch, never be a snitch
He will never betray his gang or reveal any information that could harm them
And if mi poor naw dweet fi mi rich
He will remain loyal to his gang even if it means risking his own well-being or financial status
Never sell out yaw man
One should never betray one's fellow gang member
Nuff inform pon the don yaw man
There are many people who give information about the leader of the gang (the don) to the police
A one don yaw man
Emphasizing the importance of the leader and their authority within the gang
Mi a real badman yah man
He is a truly tough and dangerous gang member
Mi run joke yaw man
He may be playful at times, but he is not to be messed with
But mi nuh tek coke yaw man
He does not use drugs like cocaine
Yo cyaa dis yaw man
One should never disrespect or challenge him
In a yo face gyal piss yaw man
He will not hesitate to confront and embarrass someone that annoys him
Jamaica a nuh just beach yaw man
Jamaica is not just a tourist destination or a peaceful place
Dawg wi nuh run squelch yaw man
His gang does not back down from any fight or confrontation
Watch yo speech yaw man
Be careful what you say or you might offend someone who is dangerous
In a yo house mi wi reach yaw man
He will come to someone's house if they cross him or his gang
A true you nuh know yaw man
One never knows who is associated with his gang, and it is better not to take any chances
You wi turn duppy show yaw man
Someone who crosses him or his gang will regret their decision
Ask all a yo friend yaw man
His reputation precedes him, and even his enemies' friends know about him
Writer(s): A.palmer, L.white
Contributed by Liam M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Thutmosis7
This man is unreal? How can one artist full of so much style. Kartel is the greatest dancehall artist ever live. Hope he continue to dominate the business. He is truly the world Boss. He is the biggie of dancehall music
@samuelaustin8220
Real my youth
@kalah9222
Love it!!
@user-db3gl4pm7l
Best dancehall king ever lived
@sammycameron9080
One general 🌟🌟🌟 one King 👑👑👑 one Boss Gaza for life 🇯🇲✨
@genobrown4509
this is nice i love it
@irreplaceableann8678
2019 and still listening....
Gaza Nation......... nothing change dt.🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@newtonmuhanda4908
Still listening to this in 2020. Covid 19 still doing it's shit Yah Man!
@Rude_gabbana05
Im still listening 2018 big up yaself jamrock🤣🇯🇲🇯🇲
@piuskamau8305
Sickest Jamaican Dancehall artist!