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.
Unstoppable
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Run away train
Every zink fence
Every lane
Mi a aim fi the sky like plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
Every man have a dream
Everyday cyaa be the same
Mi a aim fi the sky liek plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
From mi a likkle youth
Mi tell myself me have a plan
Mi waan famous like Ninja Man
Mi waan big like Buju Banton
Suh everyday mi build 17 song
Mi naw lie the journey did long
But a ghetto man born and grow suh mi strong
When mi get my first number one
Mi buy a house fi mi mother yaw man
Far mi a come from
Now a lobster mi nam fi dinner
Weh the haters dem did deh
When a one pear a shoes mi did have
Mi nuh pay badmind nuh mind
Work hard fi achieve whatβ²s mine
Unuh never waan si the star shine
Every ghetto youth is a star
Unstoppable
Run away train
Every zink fence
Every lane
Mi a aim fi the sky like plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
Every man have a dream
And a nightmare
Everyday cyaa be the same
Mi a aim fi the sky liek plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
Tower Hill
Work hard and it haffi come true
Babylon don't like you
Careful in a the street
Fool a go lose
Dawg donβ²t meck wrong move
Mi nuh waan lazy become fi you excuse
Dawg weh you think you a prove
Seh you waan be a gangster and a form gang
Meck sure you nuh form fool
Far mi a come from
Now a lobster mi nam fi dinner
Weh the haters dem did deh
When a one pear a shoes mi did have
Mi nuh pay badmind nuh mind
Work hard fi achieve what's mine
Unuh never waan si the star shine
Every ghetto youth is a star
Unstoppable
Run away train
Every zink fence
Every lane
Mi a aim fi the sky like plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
Every man have a dream
And a nightmare
Everyday cyaa be the same
Mi a aim fi the sky liek plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
...
Far mi a come from
Now a lobster mi nam fi dinner
Weh the haters dem did deh
When a one pear a shoes mi did have
Mi nuh pay badmind nuh mind
Work hard fi achieve what's mine
Unuh never waan si the star shine
Every ghetto youth is a star
Unstoppable
Run away train
Every zink fence
Every lane
Mi a aim fi the sky like plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
Every man have a dream
And a nightmare
Everyday cyaa be the same
Mi a aim fi the sky liek plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
In "Unstoppable," Vybz Kartel depicts the life of a ghetto youth who has unshakable ambitions and a fervent will to succeed. He compares himself to a runaway train that will stop for no one and nothing, moving relentlessly towards his goals, which include making a name for himself in the music industry, providing for his family, and inspiring other ghetto youths to follow in his footsteps. Despite the obstacles he faces, including poverty, crime, and jealous rivals, he remains focused and driven, determined to take his career and life to the next level. He also stresses the importance of hard work, dedication, and self-belief, urging others not to let their circumstances define them and to aim high like a plane that soars towards the sky. Overall, "Unstoppable" is a powerful anthem that celebrates the resilience and potential of ghetto youths and encourages them to keep striving for success.
Line by Line Meaning
Ghetto youth unstoppable
The youth from the ghetto are unstoppable in achieving success.
Run away train
Gaining momentum like a train and no one can stop it.
Every zink fence
Achieving success no matter how small the obstacle.
Every lane
Regardless of the path taken, success is still achievable.
Mi a aim fi the sky like plane
Aiming high and setting big goals to achieve.
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
Others are hoping for their failure and downfall.
Every man have a dream
Everyone has aspirations they seek to fulfill.
And a nightmare
Along the way, one may encounter various challenges and setbacks.
Everyday cyaa be the same
Everyday can't be routine and must be filled with progress and improvement.
From mi a likkle youth
Mi tell myself me have a plan
Mi waan famous like Ninja Man
Mi waan big like Buju Banton
Suh everyday mi build 17 song
Mi naw lie the journey did long
But a ghetto man born and grow suh mi strong
When mi get my first number one
Since he was young, he had a plan to become famous like the stars in his community. He wrote 17 songs a day, never giving up despite the journey being long. He is proud to be from the ghetto and it made him stronger, especially after his first number one hit song.
Mi buy a house fi mi mother yaw man
He bought a house for his mother to show his gratitude and success.
Far mi a come from
He came from a long way to reach the top.
Now a lobster mi nam fi dinner
He has achieved success to the point of partaking in luxurious dinners.
Weh the haters dem did deh
When a one pear a shoes mi did have
When he didn't have many material belongings, haters were present and now can't be found.
Mi nuh pay badmind nuh mind
Work hard fi achieve what's mine
He doesn't get sidetracked by envy and focuses on working hard to achieve his goals.
Unuh never waan si the star shine
People didn't always want to see him succeed.
Tower Hill
Work hard and it haffi come true
Babylon don't like you
Careful in a the street
Fool a go lose
Success is achievable with hard work, but one must be careful of obstacles and people who don't want to see you succeed.
Dawg donβ²t meck wrong move
Mi nuh waan lazy become fi you excuse
Dawg weh you think you a prove
Seh you waan be a gangster and a form gang
Meck sure you nuh form fool
Don't make wrong decisions that can hinder your success. Laziness is not a valid excuse. Gangster wannabes should be aware of who they form alliances with and not act recklessly.
Every ghetto youth is a star
Every person from the ghetto has the potential for greatness.
Writer(s): Linton Timajae White, Adidja Azim Palmer, Okino Thomas
Contributed by Mackenzie K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mslayyy
Ghetto youth unstoppable
Run away train
Every zink fence
Every lane
Mi a aim fi the sky like plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
Every man have a dream
And a nightmare
Everyday cyaa be the same
Mi a aim fi the sky liek plane
Dem a pray fi wi fall like rain
From mi a likkle youth
Mi tell myself me have a plan
Mi waan famous like Ninja Man
Mi waan big like Buju Banton
Suh everyday mi build 17 song
Mi naw lie the journey did long
But a ghetto man born and grow suh mi strong
When mi get my first number one
Mi buy a house fi mi mother yaw man
Far mi a come from
Now a lobster mi nam fi dinner
Weh the haters dem did deh
When a one pear a shoes mi did have
Mi nuh pay badmind nuh mind
Work hard fi achieve what's mine
Unuh never waan si the star shine
Every ghetto youth is a star
Tower Hill
Work hard and it haffi come true
Babylon don't like you
Careful in a the street
Fool a go lose
Dawg don't meck wrong move
Mi nuh waan lazy become fi you excuse
Dawg weh you think you a prove
Seh you waan be a gangster and a form gang
Meck sure you nuh form fool
Far mi a come from
Now a lobster mi nam fi dinner
Weh the haters dem did deh
When a one pear a shoes mi did have
Mi nuh pay badmind nuh mind
Work hard fi achieve what's mine
Unuh never waan si the star shine
Every ghetto youth is a star
@EzekielMohamed
Who listening in 2024.
#freevybzkartel
@yannikid
Me seen
@callum5879
Up deh
@Growmeister
me madafaka. One don One worldboss....
@KIWYDONNFYT
Gaza
@hichmunene349
Hands up like upper Echelon
@HubasaFamily254
8yrs later and this jam just made my day;thanks for the words spoken,they touched a soul today the 15th September 2023.Who else is here with me....
@felloemtapelli541
Am in
@addijahworldboss
Am in too
@paulbaddoc2470
Brother