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.
Vybz Kartel
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hey bwoy, meck mi tell you bout real mad dawg
Anyweh mi go mi carry 3 mad dawg
Look in a mi hand mi never mean hot-dog
Iron furnace suh the steel hot dawg
Seh you dis Gaza you mussi idiot dawg
Anyweh mi go fi dem a we that dawg
No you nuh bad stop pree that dawg
Tek two Panadol you just feel bad dawg
No you nuh bad stop pree that dawg
Tek two panadol you just feel bad dawg
No you nuh bad stop pree that dawg
Tek two panadol you just feel bad dawg
(2)
Hey bwoy, emck mi tell you bout top-top dawg
Anyweh mi carry it and clap that dawg
Bwoy si the dawg and a play hero
Mi never know seh a you a BatMan dawg
Even a stop sign cyaa stop man dawg
No comedy, Addi a action dawg
No rat man a bare Jordan dawg
Clarks paw mi foot England brand dawg
(Repeat)
(Repeat 1)
(Repeat)
(Repeat 2)
(Repeat)
The lyrics to "Vybz Kartel" by Vybz Kartel are a boastful display of the artist's tough image, declaring that he carries three "mad dawgs" with him at all times and is not to be messed with. He brands anyone who opposes him or his affiliation with the "Gaza" movement as an idiot and claims that no stop sign or other obstacle can stop him. The repeated line "No you nuh bad stop pree that dawg, Tek two Panadol you just feel bad dawg" is a dismissive way of saying that those who claim to be tough are no match for him and will only end up feeling sorry for themselves.
The aggressive tone and use of slang and patois in the lyrics reflect the dancehall subculture in which Vybz Kartel operates, where a tough image and lyrical prowess are highly valued. The repeated use of "dawg" (a Jamaican slang term for "friend") in a threatening context serves to reinforce his image as a feared and respected figure. Overall, the song is a power play aimed at cementing his reputation as a formidable force in the Jamaican music scene.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey bwoy, meck mi tell you bout real mad dawg
Listen up, let me tell you about my fearless and aggressive dogs
Anyweh mi go mi carry 3 mad dawg
Wherever I go, I bring along three fierce dogs
Look in a mi hand mi never mean hot-dog
Don't be fooled by what's in my hand, it's not a hot-dog
Iron furnace suh the steel hot dawg
My dogs are fierce and determined like a hot furnace and steel
Seh you dis Gaza you mussi idiot dawg
If you disrespect my crew, you must be a fool
Anyweh mi go fi dem a we that dawg
Wherever I go to confront them, I represent my crew
No you nuh bad stop pree that dawg
You're not tough, stop pretending to be
Tek two Panadol you just feel bad dawg
Take two painkillers, that's how bad you'll feel
Hey bwoy, emck mi tell you bout top-top dawg
Listen up, let me tell you about my top-tier, elite dog
Anyweh mi carry it and clap that dawg
Wherever I bring it out, it always gets the job done
Bwoy si the dawg and a play hero
Some people see my dog and try to act tough
Mi never know seh a you a BatMan dawg
Little did I know that you were trying to be a superhero
Even a stop sign cyaa stop man dawg
Not even a stop sign can slow me or my dog down
No comedy, Addi a action dawg
This is not a joke, I'm a man of action
No rat man a bare Jordan dawg
I never wear anything but Clarks shoes, not even fake ones
Clarks paw mi foot England brand dawg
I wear Clarks shoes on my feet, representing England
Contributed by Zachary L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@jamelreid5233
💯💯💯💯💯💯
@876RICHLUX
ONE BBC MYSTIKAL ❤ GAZAAAAA 4EVA 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@roshanegriffths389
On repeat 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Gaza all day every day 😊
@dembodarboe-rr4lk
Yow always amazing vibes Gaza for life forever
@MOSESEYEZ
🔥🔥🔥🔥
@jaylen6281
Me watch this video 10 times a day 💎💎💎💎❤️🇦🇬 me go get the 30k soon
@bornhigh212
Loving it.
🇰🇪 🇰🇪
@yasminebeaupierre6344
Just wanna say that’s my beautiful friend and I am so PROUD OF HER! Y’all can hate all you want she’s going places ! 🫶🏽🐰
@sedumreflexum5295
Who she? 🤩
@sashabinnom
Who cares what the badmind people haffi say. Your girl is bad. Gwan with your bad self ❤