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.
Straight Jeans and Fitted
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dats how we roll
Straight jeans and fitted
In a white t-shirt we did it
We rock them shades to di limit
(Uptown, uptown)
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore
Mi gucci belt a di realest
Mi rosary chain ah di purest
Mi G-Shock watch timeless
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore
In case yuh neva kno
Mi style fresh like di rose fa-di-mo
From ceiling to floor, from head to mi toe
From mi a canerow till mi hair low
Gyal dem a watch we like ah stage show
And a seh teacha, how yuh stay so?
Cool, like mi wash mi face wid di cake soap
Cool, like mi wash mi face wid di cake soap
Every gyal hol on pon yuh baby
Every man grab on pon a lady
Dats how we do it in uptown dawdi
Ah so we do it ina Portmore pawdi
Ah nuh weh wi ride or weh wi ina
Wedda bicycle, benz, or beema
Deh girl deh seh fi tell yuh dat she love weh yuh ina
Straight jeans and fitted
In a white t-shirt we did it
We rock them shades to di limit
(Uptown, uptown)
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore (oh)
Mi gucci belt a di realest
Mi rosary chain ah di purest
Mi G-Shock watch timeless
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore (oh)
From yuh pass to ah level and soul of a
Have a boasy style dats how di boss roll an a
We start own blackberry, smartphone an a
Di AC gi hard so di glass cold an a
Di strippers a dance pon di glass pole an a
Fi mornin fi jewelry nuh false gold an a
When dem si di gaza govana
Di birds surf like me say, glass pole an a
Every gyal hol on pon yuh baby
Every man grab on pon a lady
Dats how we do it in uptown dawdi
Ah so we do it ina Portmore pawdi
Ah nuh weh wi ride or weh wi ina
Wedda bicycle, benz, or beema
Deh girl deh seh fi tell yuh dat she love weh yuh ina
Straight jeans and fitted
Ina white t-shirt we did it
We rock them shades to di limit
(Uptown, uptown)
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore
Mi gucci belt a di realest
Mi rosary chain ah di purest
Mi G-Shock watch timeless
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore
V-neck t-shirt, true re-ligion
Dats how we roll
Straight jeans and fitted
Ina white t-shirt we did it
We rock dose shades to di limit
(Uptown, uptown)
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore
Mi gucci belt a di realest
Mi rosary chain ah di purest
Mi G-Shock watch timeless
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore
"Straight Jeans & Fitted" is a song by the Jamaican dancehall artist Vybz Kartel. The lyrics are a celebration of fashion and style, with Kartel boasting about his Gucci belt, rosary chain, and G-Shock watch. The song reflects the hip-hop and dancehall subculture of dressing up in designer clothing and accessories as a way of expressing one's status and identity.
Kartel opens the song with the line, "V-neck t-shirt, true religion," referencing the popular American designer brand that creates high-end jeans and t-shirts. He then continues to list the garments and accessories that make up his signature style, including straight jeans, fitted t-shirts, and flashy shades. Much of the language is peppered with slang from Jamaican Patois, which is a hallmark of Vybz Kartel's work.
While the lyrics of the song might seem shallow or materialistic at first glance, they are actually deeply connected to the history and culture of Jamaican dancehall music. Fashion and style have always played a significant role in this genre, with artists using clothing and accessories as a way of expressing their individuality and challenging norms about gender, sexuality, and class.
Line by Line Meaning
V-neck t-shirt, true re-ligion
Wearing a V-neck t-shirt and True Religion jeans is our fashionable style
Dats how we roll
That's how we live and do things
Straight jeans and fitted
We wear jeans that are straight and fit us well
In a white t-shirt we did it
We wear a white t-shirt to complete our look
We rock them shades to di limit
We wear our sunglasses stylishly
(Uptown, uptown)
We are from the uptown part of town
Same so wi dweet, wi dweet ah Portmore
We dress and live the same way in Portmore
Mi gucci belt a di realest
My Gucci belt is the most authentic
Mi rosary chain ah di purest
My rosary chain is of the highest quality
Mi G-Shock watch timeless
My G-Shock watch is classic and never goes out of style
In case yuh neva kno
In case you didn't know
Mi style fresh like di rose fa-di-mo
My style is as fresh and beautiful as a rose flower
From ceiling to floor, from head to mi toe
My style is impeccable from top to bottom
From mi a canerow till mi hair low
My hairstyle looks amazing whether I have a cornrow or low hair
Gyal dem a watch we like ah stage show
Girls are watching us like we are performing on stage
And a seh teacha, how yuh stay so?
They ask me, Teach, how do you look so good?
Cool, like mi wash mi face wid di cake soap
I'm cool and clean as if I washed my face with cake soap
Every gyal hol on pon yuh baby
Girls hold onto your partners tightly
Every man grab on pon a lady
Guys grab onto a lady
Dats how we do it in uptown dawdi
That's how we roll in uptown, friend
Ah so we do it ina Portmore pawdi
We do it the same way in Portmore, friend
Ah nuh weh wi ride or weh wi ina
It doesn't matter what we ride or where we are
Wedda bicycle, benz, or beema
Whether it's a bicycle, Mercedes-Benz, or BMW
Deh girl deh seh fi tell yuh dat she love weh yuh ina
Girls say they love what we're wearing
From yuh pass to ah level and soul of a
If you are at a certain level and have confidence
Have a boasy style dats how di boss roll an a
You will have a confident style like how the boss rolls
We start own blackberry, smartphone an a
We have own Blackberry and smartphone
Di AC gi hard so di glass cold an a
The air conditioning is on so the glass is cold
Di strippers a dance pon di glass pole an a
Strippers are dancing on the glass pole
Fi mornin fi jewelry nuh false gold an a
We wear real gold jewelry in the morning
When dem si di gaza govana
When they see the Gaza Governor
Di birds surf like me say, glass pole an a
The women dance on the pole like they are surfing
V-neck t-shirt, true re-ligion
Wearing V-neck t-shirts and True Religion jeans is the fashionable style that we abide by
We rock dose shades to di limit
We wear our sunglasses to the maximum limit of style
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADIDJA PALMER, TARIK LUKE JOHNSTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Aqueeb Khan
This song brings back high school memories lol, csnt believe it’s only on 3.3 million views
Jayy biggaveli
The official video got 33 million
M1
It had more on vybz kartels main account
JoJo CB
vybz killing it as always. love him to death
Rita Ramkaylawan
peoplehavealready👽😸😎
IMMI DA DON !
Memories lol
This song used to be on repeat and still now
juan Klan
this was the flick for the summer everyone wanted a g-shock
Uñåňïmøųś Gâżå
2020 still sounding fresh #timeless #freeworlboss🙏🏾 #heyrvssian✊🏿 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Roniboy_
Anyone still coming around in 2021 to listen to this?
You are a legend!
Commander Shepard
it's the 1st time that i see someone putting so much passion about what he is wearing in a music