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.
Summertime
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Pool Party
If a even the beach mi haffi reach
A summertime
Oh Oh
Every massive haffi come along
Go fi ya sun tan inna da summa sun
Go fi ya umbrella 'cause the sun a bun
De hot gyal dem bring it on a
In ah bikini dem in a pretty thong
Ya nuh fi shy gal bring ya come,
If you have a fool fool man, give de bun
Portmore me come from ya noe
Pretty gal jus a pose like dominoe
And the thugs dem a rub dem down
Ya know, Inna the shade street vybz rum ya noe
Uptown full a fun ya know (Norbrook)
Ati we a go ya noe (cherry garden)
Dream weekend a come ya know (Queensboro, Jacks Hill)
So much a ga dun ya know
Oh, oh, here we go
Summer time is here you know
It's a holiday, school is closed
We feel the vibes ya noe
Summer time in a Portmore
Summer time in a Kingston
Summer time in the country
Summer time inna my scheme
Pool party
If ah even the beach me haffi reach
Ah summer time
90 degrees inna the shade, temperature tun up
Whitey ah tan till skin bun up
Black gal ah rub till vein come up
Tattoo time, coloring book tun up
Man ah roll out bicycle, bike ya noe see it
Man ah roll out car and the truck and the jeep
Me wan foot thugs dem strolling up
Grab a gal by the hand start rolling up
Party ah go all night long all thru the day
Me jus' see a pretty gyal gone with Deniro & TJ
Oh, oh, here we go
Summer time is here you know
It's a holiday, school is closed
We feel the vibes ya noe
Summer time in a Portmore
Summer time in a Kingston
Summer time in the country
Summer time inna my scheme
Pool party
If ah even the beach me haffi reach
Ah summer time
Oh, oh, here we go
Summer time is here you know
It's a holiday, school is closed
We feel the vibes ya noe
Summer time in a Portmore
Summer time in a Kingston
Summer time in the country
Summer time inna my scheme
The song "Summertime" by Vybz Kartel is an upbeat and catchy anthem dedicated to the joy and excitement of the summer season in Jamaica. The song celebrates the fun activities that take place during this time, such as pool parties, trips to the beach, and tattooing. The lyrics also mention the different areas where these festivities occur, including Portmore, Kingston, and the countryside.
The song focuses on the vibrant and lively atmosphere of Jamaica during the summer, with its hot weather and beautiful beaches. The lyrics call for everyone to join in the fun, including both the young and the old. The song encourages people to forget their worries and enjoy the pleasures of life that come with the summer season.
Vybz Kartel's "Summertime" has become a dancehall classic since its release in 2011. The song has been remixed several times by other artists, and it has also been used in several ad campaigns. The catchy chorus and infectious rhythm of the song make it an essential component of any Jamaican summer playlist.
Line by Line Meaning
Johnny Cool a guh love dis enuh
Johnny Cool is going to love this (song) for sure
Pool Party
Let's have a pool party
If a even the beach mi haffi reach
Even if I have to go to the beach
A summertime
It's summertime
Every massive haffi come along
Everyone must come along (to the pool party)
Go fi ya sun tan inna da summa sun
Get your suntan in the summer sun
If ya a bleacher poppa corn
If you're a spectator, just sit and watch
Go fi ya umbrella 'cause the sun a bun
Get your umbrella because the sun is hot
De hot gyal dem bring it on a
The hot girls are showing off (their bodies)
In ah bikini dem in a pretty thong
They're wearing bikinis and pretty thongs
Ya nuh fi shy gal bring ya come,
Don't be shy, ladies, come and join in
If you have a fool fool man, give de bun
If you have an unfaithful man, cheat on him
Portmore me come from ya noe
I come from Portmore, you know
Pretty gal jus a pose like dominoe
Beautiful girls are posing like dominoes
And the thugs dem a rub dem down
And the thugs are massaging them
Ya know, Inna the shade street vybz rum ya noe
You know, we're chilling in the shade and drinking rum
Uptown full a fun ya know (Norbrook)
Uptown (Norbrook) is full of fun, you know
Ati we a go ya noe (cherry garden)
We're going to ATI (Cherry Garden), you know
Dream weekend a come ya know (Queensboro, Jacks Hill)
Dream Weekend is coming (to Queensboro and Jacks Hill), you know
So much a ga dun ya know
So much is going to happen, you know
90 degrees inna the shade, temperature tun up
It's 90 degrees in the shade, the temperature is high
Whitey ah tan till skin bun up
White people are getting sunburnt
Black gal ah rub till vein come up
Black girls are rubbing until their veins show
Tattoo time, coloring book tun up
It's time to show off your tattoos and coloring books
Man ah roll out bicycle, bike ya noe see it
Men are riding bicycles, don't you see it?
Man ah roll out car and the truck and the jeep
Men are driving cars, trucks, and jeeps
Me wan foot thugs dem strolling up
I want to see the tough guys strolling in
Grab a gal by the hand start rolling up
Grab a girl by the hand and start dancing
Party ah go all night long all thru the day
The party is going on all day and all night
Me jus' see a pretty gyal gone with Deniro & TJ
I just saw a pretty girl walking away with Deniro and TJ
Oh, oh, here we go
Here we go (let's get started)
Summer time is here you know
It's summertime, you know
It's a holiday, school is closed
It's a holiday, schools are closed
We feel the vibes ya noe
We feel the vibes, you know
Summer time in a Portmore
It's summertime in Portmore
Summer time in a Kingston
It's summertime in Kingston
Summer time in the country
It's summertime in the countryside
Summer time inna my scheme
It's summertime in my neighborhood
Pool party
Let's have a pool party
If ah even the beach me haffi reach
Even if I have to go to the beach
Ah summer time
It's summertime
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@ube2ful
12 years later, if you're watching this you too are a world boss.
@lancetm9233
😎
@JanPeterBalkenende.
❤️
@bvtgamingclan1710
😂🎉🎉
@JonathanMorrison-mk7gk
😂❤
@3rdvision-fj6hm
World 🌎 boss aka goat
@moses_ndungu
That one song that never gets old. It's now 2023 and seems like its fresh from studio,mob ❤️ 🇰🇪 🇰🇪
@emmanuelmanjeru3216
This guy is a legend ... will always salute him
@machup6461
🔥🔥🔥🔥
@topstrika8720
King of the dancehall 🤴🏻☝🏾🥇