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.
Tear Drops
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ah kno nothing fi hurt
Don't fight d feeling
Tear drops since u been gone
We missin' you
Tear drops
Rip fi yuh gangsta wa gone so soon
If ya miss ya fada
If ya miss ya sista
If ya miss ya brother
You fi show that!
Every night before me go to sleep
I pray d lord me soul fi keep
If I shud die before I wake
Me pray d lord me soul fi take
Me memba everything
Box truck wheel and wire
When we use to race with the big leyland tire
When we teef d herbs outta d dread house
Dat ah d first time we ever go set weed on fire
Me never know ya life wuda expire
As ah younger yute fi u u was me biggest inspire
Me shed ah tears pon ya grave me no hire
Every night me gon me bed u fi still inna me prayer
Me know say yuh no inna no hell fire
Ah heaven yuh residing ah d sky wey so higher
And ah make d angel dem a sing gun song inna d choir
And I keep it dance ahprin flyer
Jah blessings always inna me mind
Haffi have me bible me no left that no time
Me know jah watch me but me still bring d nine
D big man cannot watch we all d time
Den jah love ah night me feel it inna me joint
It ah keep off evil those obea man and hollow point
Me pray fi me friend dem wey pass on
Me na go bow me close me eyes and den me claspe hand
Den me make god fi make dem rest in peace
Dat ahffi me friend dem nearly parted and decease
Cau me no seen heaven but me kno me see d beast
Alive and in d streets turning children into freaks
But me put me trust inna d king from d east
Me talk to him fi hours even days or even weeks
Me still alive nuff ah me friends dem no survive
Me remember them for life thou sometime me cry
The song Tear Drops by Vybz Kartel is a heartfelt tribute to loved ones who have passed away. The lyrics express the pain and sorrow that the artist and his community feel when they lose someone close to them. The chorus repeats the phrase "tear drops" to emphasize the sadness and grief that accompany grief. The song touches on the loss of family and friends, acknowledging that nothing hurts more than this type of loss.
Vybz Kartel speaks to his fallen friend, reminiscing about their shared memories, including a time when they raced with a big Leyland tire and the first time they set fire to some weed. He regrets that he didn't know that his friend's life would expire so soon and that he was his biggest inspiration when they were young. He sheds tears on the grave of his friend and prays for his soul. He believes that his friend is in heaven, singing in the choir with the angels. The artist ends the song by putting his trust in the King from the East and talking to him for hours, days, or weeks.
Line by Line Meaning
Yuh lost ah family or ya lost ah friend
Whether you've lost a family member or a friend, I know how much it hurts.
Ah kno nothing fi hurt
I understand the pain of losing someone, and there's nothing I can do to make it hurt any less.
Don't fight d feeling
Don't try to hide or suppress your emotions. It's okay to feel sad and miss the person you lost.
Tear drops since u been gone
I've been crying since you've been gone.
We missin' you
We miss you and wish you were still here.
Tear drops
I'm still crying even though it's been a while since you've been gone.
Rip fi yuh gangsta wa gone so soon
Rest in peace to my friend who was taken away too soon.
If ya miss ya madaa
If you miss your mother,
If ya miss ya fada
If you miss your father,
If ya miss ya sista
If you miss your sister,
If ya miss ya brother
If you miss your brother,
You fi show that!
You should express your feelings and let others know that you miss them.
Every night before me go to sleep
Every night before I go to sleep,
I pray d lord me soul fi keep
I pray to the Lord to keep my soul safe.
If I shud die before I wake
If I should die before I wake,
Me pray d lord me soul fi take
I pray to the Lord to take my soul.
Me memba everything
I remember everything.
Box truck wheel and wire
Even the small details like the box truck wheel and wire.
When we use to race with the big leyland tire
When we used to race with the big Leyland tire.
When we teef d herbs outta d dread house
When we stole the herbs from the Rastafarian's house.
Dat ah d first time we ever go set weed on fire
That was the first time we ever smoked weed.
Me never know ya life wuda expire
I never knew your life would end so soon.
As ah younger yute fi u u was me biggest inspire
As a young person, you were my biggest inspiration.
Me shed ah tears pon ya grave me no hire
I cry on your grave without anyone paying me to do so.
Every night me gon me bed u fi still inna me prayer
Every night when I go to bed, you're still in my prayers.
Me know say yuh no inna no hell fire
I know you're not in hell.
Ah heaven yuh residing ah d sky wey so higher
You're residing in heaven, high up in the sky.
And ah make d angel dem a sing gun song inna d choir
The angels are singing gun songs in the choir for you.
And I keep it dance ahprin flyer
I keep dancing and holding onto the memories of you.
Jah blessings always inna me mind
I always have Jah's blessings in my mind.
Haffi have me bible me no left that no time
I always have my Bible with me, I never leave it behind.
Me know jah watch me but me still bring d nine
I know Jah watches over me, but I still carry my gun for protection.
D big man cannot watch we all d time
God can't watch over us all the time.
Den jah love ah night me feel it inna me joint
Sometimes I feel Jah's love so strongly that it seems to flow through my entire body.
It ah keep off evil those obea man and hollow point
Jah's love protects me from evil, even from those who use dark magic and guns.
Me pray fi me friend dem wey pass on
I pray for my friends who have passed away.
Me na go bow me close me eyes and den me claspe hand
I won't bow my head, close my eyes, and clasp my hands together.
Den me make god fi make dem rest in peace
Instead, I ask God to make them rest in peace.
Dat ahffi me friend dem nearly parted and decease
That's the only comfort I can offer to my friends who are still alive but are almost dead inside from the loss.
Cau me no seen heaven but me kno me see d beast
I haven't seen heaven, but I know I have seen the devil in everyday life.
Alive and in d streets turning children into freaks
Evil has a presence in our world, corrupting and influencing the innocent.
But me put me trust inna d king from d east
But I trust in the Lord, who came from the east.
Me talk to him fi hours even days or even weeks
I talk to the Lord for hours, days, even weeks, seeking his guidance and protection.
Me still alive nuff ah me friends dem no survive
I'm still alive, but many of my friends didn't survive.
Me remember them for life thou sometime me cry
I remember them for life, though sometimes it makes me cry.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes
Written by: AINSLEY MORRIS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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