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.
Solomonic Chronic
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So mi ah say
Yuh know it's kartelly, (timely)
I'm a high grade angel, (yuh know)
So mi ah say yuh kno when I smoke d weed
I'm high next to heaven (crimely)
My IQ raise also (interlect)
My interlect, Intelligence,
Leme tell yuh sumin
[Verse 1:]
So salomonic is d chronic,
Super sonic Super tonic,
Mekk me speak in Islamic,
Hieroglyphic and slavonic,
Every atom get atomic,
Every phallic av bionic head,
Spinnin cyclonic haize ringing telephonic,
SO sweet and Symphonic
When me grab ah block of Blonic,
Spilff Big and Iconic Long like a macaronic,
Diabolic or perstalical alcholic whey yuh fall it
Babylon belong d range shoot up tekk tonic
Blue ride hydrolic stay like it's titanic
Jewish and catholic say me have it more ronic
More chronic Gyalionic make me wrap the microphonic,
Keep it real Me doh act it like ah man wey drop. Talk it!
[Chorus:]
We smokin till we look down at D sky,
High like the Greeting someone say HI,
Dis bwoy ah roll tru high school dayz,
Me IQ raise when d High Grade raise.
[Verse 2:]
Aye!
Like third world I'm committed,
To weed Me doh Shitted,
Blood witted daz written,
It's not counterfitted,
D judge still great head,
Right tru some half withered
Police grab me spliff head
But I was a quick head,
Radio transmitted or fed Ex Remitted
Anywhere dat me sit at
My treez affi refitted
D light when me lighter emitted
It split head but matches got lit head
Still benefitted
Black head and white head,
Treez get lighted,
Fire ignited me brain's excited,
I'm so delighted
Fully red sighted,
Treez and rizzla and fire united
[Chorus:]
We smokin till we look down at the sky
High like the greeting Someone say Hi,
Dis bwoy ah roll tru high school dayz,
Me IQ raise when D high grade raise.
[NEWS TALK]
The lyrics of Vybz Kartel's song Solomonic Chronic speak about the effects of smoking marijuana on an individual's mind and body. The artist describes himself as a high-grade angel when he smokes the weed, and his IQ is raised along with his intellect and intelligence. Solomonic Chronic is the strain of the marijuana that he consumes, and it is super tonic and supersonic, leading to a hallucinogenic experience.
Kartel's verse one states how smoking Solomonic Chronic makes him speak in different languages like Islamic, Hieroglyphic, and Slavonic. He also mentions how every atom becomes atomic, and every phallic becomes bionic when he smokes this weed. Additionally, the artist highlights how smoking the Solomonic Chronic is symphonic and cyclonic, and it leads to telephonic and haize ringing effects. The verse ends with him stating that he keeps it real and will never act like a man who has dropped.
In verse two, Vybz Kartel talks about how he is committed to smoking weed and how it increases his creativity. He mentions how the judge and police officials have caught him, but he always manages to escape. The lyrics also depict how he feels happy and excited after smoking the weed and how it unites him with others who smoke it. The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "We smokin till we look down at the sky, High like the greeting someone says Hi," indicating the level of high he experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
So mi ah say
I'm saying that
Yuh know it's kartelly, (timely)
You know it's me, Vybz Kartel, being punctual
I'm a high grade angel, (yuh know)
I'm a heavenly being who enjoys smoking high-quality marijuana
So mi ah say yuh kno when I smoke d weed
When I smoke weed, you know
I'm high next to heaven (crimely)
I'm extremely high and feel almost divine
My IQ raise also (interlect)
Smoking marijuana increases my intelligence
My interlect, Intelligence,
My intellect or intelligence
SO MI AH SAY YUH KNOW (wah yaaa sayyyy)
So, you know what I'm saying
Leme tell yuh sumin
Let me tell you something
So salomonic is d chronic,
This weed is Salomonic, meaning it is of the highest quality
Super sonic Super tonic,
Extremely potent and powerful
Mekk me speak in Islamic,
Makes me speak in different languages such as Islamic
Hieroglyphic and slavonic,
Hieroglyphic and Slavonic are other languages he can speak due to the effect of the weed
Every atom get atomic,
Every atom becomes explosive
Every phallic av bionic head,
Every person's head becomes bionic
Spinnin cyclonic haize ringing telephonic,
Feels like there is a cyclone in his head with ringing telephones
SO sweet and Symphonic
The effect is sweet and harmonious
When me grab ah block of Blonic,
When he takes a block of the weed, called Blonic
Spilff Big and Iconic Long like a macaronic,
The blunt is big and long like a macaroni
Diabolic or perstalical alcholic whey yuh fall it
The effect is either very demonic or overly intoxicating
Babylon belong d range shoot up tekk tonic
The police are trying to catch him and he needs more tonic to get away
Blue ride hydrolic stay like it's titanic
He drives a blue car that is like the Titanic, with a hydraulic system
Jewish and catholic say me have it more ronic
Both Jewish and Catholic people recognize that he has an exceptional product
More chronic Gyalionic make me wrap the microphonic,
Better weed makes him rap better on the microphone
Keep it real Me doh act it like ah man wey drop. Talk it!
He is true to himself and doesn't pretend to be someone he's not
We smokin till we look down at D sky,
They smoke so much that they feel like they are looking down at the sky
High like the Greeting someone say HI,
They are extremely high, to the point where a simple greeting feels profound
Dis bwoy ah roll tru high school dayz,
He reminisces about smoking weed during his high school days
Me IQ raise when d High Grade raise.
His intelligence increases when he smokes high-quality weed
Like third world I'm committed,
He is dedicated to smoking weed like many people in developing countries
To weed Me doh Shitted,
He has never betrayed or abandoned marijuana
Blood witted daz written,
He has a natural talent for smoking weed
It's not counterfitted,
The weed is not fake
D judge still great head,
The judge of the weed is still top-tier
Right tru some half withered
Even the slightly withered weed is still good
Police grab me spliff head
The police have caught him with his joint
But I was a quick head,
He was fast enough to avoid getting caught
Radio transmitted or fed Ex Remitted
He can get the weed delivered to him in various ways
Anywhere dat me sit at
Wherever he goes
My treez affi refitted
He needs to have his weed customized to suit him
D light when me lighter emitted
When he clicks his lighter, the flame is strong
It split head but matches got lit head
The weed is so potent that even a match can ignite it
Still benefitted
He still benefits from smoking the weed
Black head and white head,
Everyone, regardless of race, can enjoy the weed
Treez get lighted,
The weed gets smoked
Fire ignited me brain's excited,
Smoking weed excites his brain and makes him feel good
I'm so delighted
He is very happy with the weed
Fully red sighted,
His eyes are completely red due to the effects of the weed
Treez and rizzla and fire united
The weed, rolling paper, and lighter all work together to create a great experience
Writer(s): STEPHEN MCGREGOR, ADIDJA PALMER
Contributed by Abigail L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jahluva2000
This is one of the most original, lyrical, and commited to herb anthems I've heard in a long time. Jah Bless
artie allen
one of my favourite kartel songs, mad respect how he flow on one of the hardest instrumental.
Shevon
Amazing song, amazing album. Truly genius.
neo501no
Song is like poetry words are used not necessarily for the denotative meaning but for the connotation, and sometimes just to draw attention; and if you notice that it was used in the wrong context he did his job, which is to get your attention. This is why I think this guy is a good artist. Example when he said "every follicle bionic". Of course follicles aren't bionic, its just a hyperbole; used to show the enormous benefit he thinks is derived from weed. As opposed to the comments by O'Reilly.
Delon Thomas
That album is untouchable in dancehall anybody who knows a dancehall artise with a album to compare please bring it ah Beth all will crumble before the teachers back Gaza
daniel stone
Inna 2018 an nobody have lyrics like him, really and truly the best of all artiste to ever come out of Jamaica. Donโt debate with me at all.
Prince Taylor
No joke Gaza me seh ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฅ
Linford Durrant
Undisputed champion no comparison ๐ฏ๐
neo501no
absolutely, as they say you must know the rule to break it. As I said before this has been done many times in poetry. Every great poet has done it sometime or another. They are just figures of speech. If you just listen to them without analysis they sound stupid but if you think about it, it makes perfect sense.
Allan Taylor
this may be my favorite kartel of all time