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.
Vybsy Versa Love
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You know it's Vybz Kartel
Up 2 Di Time, Arif Cooper Productions
Timeless
See me a seh (weh you a seh?)
You know it's Kartel Up 2 Di Time (timely)
I see too much violence, I see too much blood
(Tell me then, what else do you see in this world?)
See me a seh
Worldwide
All my thugs
All my people
Ay, show some love, nuh? Gi' ya gyal a hug, nuh?
Boom off yuh bredrin fist like a thug, nuh?
Rasta man, lion paw bun a bud, nuh?
Mi warriors mek we stop shed blood, nuh?
Unity dance mek di system fret
So wah? Police lock it off, cuss a mad blood, nuh?
Dem a push it, go inna di club, nuh?
Lock off di ratchet, di 'lass and di slug, nuh?
Man grab a girl, nuh? Gi' di gyal a whine, nuh?
Don't squeeze trigga, squeeze Carolina
Ay, lowe crime, nuh? Seh a money time, nuh?
Work fi a house like mine, nuh?
Everybody
Wants vice versa love (Jamaica)
To all the hungry, vice versa love (Caribbean)
Come on and get some, vice versa love (to all)
Come on and get it vice versa love (Europe)
Bush
Disarm the bomb, nuh? To Uncle Sam, nuh?
Pull out yuh troops from Afghanistan, nuh?
Done wid di killy killy, listen Taliban, nuh?
In a building nuh make no plane land, nuh?
Listen me and hear weh me a say, rude bwoy
Stop war wid a yute you know from grade one, nuh?
Stop gwan like you one fi be di man, nuh?
Gyal, stop tek way people husband, nuh?
Black people mek we start live good, nuh?
Man, fulla gyal, fireplace wid wood, nuh?
Gyal, if you a chickenhead go inna di coupe, nuh?
Tek anoda man, how ya good suh?
Just warn dem, teach dem (Australia)
Tell dem, show dem
What we need is love? (Taiwan)
Just warn dem, teach dem (Yugoslavia)
Tell dem, show dem
That's what we need (Central America)
(What do they need yah?)
Every war that start
Dem seh a Warlord and Kartel talk
You show we salt
Our obstacle dem higher than pole vault
So dem don't play no part
They're not getting hurt and it's all their fault
But di violence fi hault
'Cause a our blood a run like cherry malt
Everybody
Wants vice versa love
To all the hungry, vice versa love
Come on and get some, vice versa love
Come on and get it vice versa love
Ay, show some love, nuh? Gi' ya gyal a hug, nuh?
Boom off yuh bredrin fist like a thug, nuh?
Rasta man, lion paw bun a bud, nuh?
Mi warriors mek we stop shed blood, nuh?
Unity dance mek di system fret
So wah? Police lock it off, cuss a mad blood, nuh?
Dem a push it, go inna di club, nuh?
Lock off di ratchet, di 'lass and di slug, nuh?
Man grab a girl, nuh? Gi' di gyal a whine, nuh?
Don't squeeze trigga, squeeze Carolina
Ay, lowe crime, nuh? Seh a money time, nuh?
Work fi a house like mine, nuh?
Everybody (North America)
Wants vice versa love (Central America)
To all the hungry, vice versa love (South America, Russia)
Come on and get some, vice versa love (Yugoslavia, England, France)
Come on and get it vice versa love (West Germany, Australia, England)
Everybody (Pakistan, Taiwan)
Wants vice versa love (Hawaii)
To all the hungry, vice versa love (Taipei, Philippines, Jamaica)
Come on and get some, vice versa love (Caribbean)
Come on and get it vice versa love (Europe)
Everybody
Wants vice versa love
To all the hungry, vice versa love
Come on and get some, vice versa love
To all the rude boys
Vybz Kartel's "Vybsy Versa Love" is a call for peace and love and an end to the violent culture that exists in Jamaica. The lyrics describe the need to stop the violence and crime that plagues the country and the world. The song urges listeners to show love and to stop the war, to hug their significant others, and to put down their guns. Kartel makes a reference to the recent spate of violence in Jamaica by saying, "I see too much violence, I see too much crime." He also calls on his fellow thugs to show some love and to stop the violence.
The song's hook encourages everyone to embrace Vybsy Versa Love as it is a universal love that transcends race, religion or geography. The song is a blend of reggae and dancehall music and features an upbeat and catchy melody. The lyrics are a mixture of Jamaican patois and English, making it a true representation of Jamaican culture.
Overall, "Vybsy Versa Love" is a plea from Vybz Kartel for a more peaceful world. Through his lyrics, he urges his fans to live peacefully and reject violence. The song's catchy beat and uplifting message make it a popular dancehall anthem.
Line by Line Meaning
Big riddim exclusive
This is a big deal and it's exclusive
You know it's Vybz Kartel
The artist is Vybz Kartel
Up to di time Arif Cooper Productions
Produced by Arif Cooper, a reputable producer
Timeless (Barrington Levy in background)
The song has a classic feel to it, as evidenced by Barrington Levy singing backup
So mi ah seh
The artist is about to speak
You know she it's Kartel up to di time
Vybz Kartel is still very relevant
Timely I see too much violence I see too much crime
The artist is noticing a lot of violence and crime happening, and it's happening too frequently
Timeless so mi ah she worldwide
The song and artist are worldwide and will be around forever
All da thugs Baby!
The artist is addressing 'thugs' or people who identify as tough
Ey! Show some love now
The artist is addressing the audience and asking for some love
Gi ya gal a hug now
The artist is suggesting that the male audience should give their significant other a hug
You have ya brothering face like a thug now
The artist is suggesting that the audience looks intimidating
Rasta man, lion paw bun bun now
The artist is referencing Rastafarian culture and urges them to let go of animosity
Warriors mek we stop shed blood now
The artist is suggesting that 'warriors' or tough people should stop shedding blood
Loonity dats mek de system fed slow
The artist suggests that if people don't stop acting crazy, then the government will intervene, and it will not be pretty
Police lock it up ca so much blood now
The police are locking up people due to too much violence and crime
Dem a push it doan inna di club now
Authorities are trying to stop violence and crime from happening in clubs
Lock off di ratchet, de larsson and de slug now
The artist is urging people to surrender their weapons to prevent further harm
Man got a girl gi de gal a wine now
The artist is encouraging men to dance with their partners instead of being violent
Don't squeeze trigga squeeze Carolino
The artist is urging people not to act violently, but instead to have a good time
Ey blow time no she a money time now
The artist is telling people it's time to have a good time and enjoy themselves
Go through ya house like rhino
The artist is telling listeners to be aggressive in 'tearing the house down' and having a good time
Everybody camon vybzy versey love
The artist is bringing people together to experience the love
Push! Dis am di bad now
The situation is getting out of control
Go outta sand now
People need to step up and take action
Know how ta choose from kani stan now
People need to know what to do and make the right choice
Run wid de killi killi dis a taliban now
The artist is urging people not to act like a member of the Taliban and to avoid violence
Kill a baby don't mek no blame land now
The artist is warning people not to making irrational decisions and hurt innocent people
Dis mi and hear mi ah seh rude bwoy stop war wid a new genofa and grade 1
The artist is urging tough guys to stop their behavior
Stop war like you a fibbin de man now
Stop the war similar to how a learning individual would stop lying
Girls stop tekkin from people house bad now
Girls need to stop stealing from peoples houses
Black people mek we start live good now
Black people need to start living well
Full a gal, full a place wid wood now
People will have a good time with many women dancing around
If you a chicken down inna de club now
If anyone is scared, just get out of the club
Tek out anoda man ya good slow
Do not attack anyone else, just move on
Just warn dem teach dem
The artist encourages that leaders warn and educate people
Tell dem show dem
The artist says to tell and show others how to behave
What you mean?
The artist is asking for clarification and elaboration
Just be one wid me
The artist encourages unity
Every war dat start
Every conflict that starts
Dem seh dat Warlord and Kartel a talk
People are starting to rumour that Vybz Kartel is starting wars
Ya show we salt
But they do not know how tough the artist really is
We show dem a obstacle dan higher dan pole vault
The artist and his crew are much tougher than people give them credit for
So dem don't play nuh ball
People should not underestimate the artist and his crew
Dem not getting her and it's all their fault
This is due to their own mistakes and overconfidence
But de violence still hault
Even though people are talking bad about the artist, he is still working to stop violence and conflicts
'Cause a hole a run like cherry malt
All the people leaving parties quickly are similar to how soda fizz appears once soda is poured from a fountain
North America, South America
Referring to both Americas
Yugoslavia, England
Referring to countries in the Balkans and United Kingdom respectively
France, Australia
Referring to France and Australia
Taiwan, Hawaii
Referring to Taiwan and Hawaii
Philippines, Taipei
Referring to the Philippines and Taipei
Jamaica, Caribbean
Referring to Jamaica and the Caribbean
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Adidja Palmer, Arif Michael Cooper, Barrington Levy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Foxy Roxy
Who else is here in 2019???? ✊🏿
Don1 gaza
damn. real throwback 2019:
Akeem Cornelius
2021 and me still day ya 😎🤑
K
Big Fukn Tunnnnnne yall dnt even kno🔥🔥🔥
Sherill George
who is here for the respect free wurlboss
James Jordan
Miss d worl boss sigh free up d boss no dancehall can perform like him energy vibes sense of humor jokes lyrics and a great ambience 🔥🔥🔥🔥💯💯💯💯
Killa Rowe
2022 an I'm still here
BOBPromotion
2005 classic
JW Speaking and Listening Podcast
Up mi G... #Boss
Richy Banks
Big song