Vybz Kartel (born Adidja Palmer, Jan. 7, 1976) is a Jamaican dancehall deej… Read Full Bio ↴Vybz Kartel (born Adidja Palmer, Jan. 7, 1976) is a Jamaican dancehall deejay.

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.

Where Is the Love
Vybz Kartel Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Mi si car for sale and mi cyaa buy none
Mi si house for sale too
Tell mi when da money deh a go come
Ghetto youth left school and cyaa si no feature
10 years from now tell mi wa a go happen to mi daughter

()
If everyday wi til the soil

And Babylon no share the spoil
Everyday wi a suffer
Where is the love for the black child
Mister chin done have him own
Dem treat wi like dog and wi still no get no bone
Tell me where is the love for the black child

(1)
How mi fi live off a four grand a week
Lord Jesus
That a just fi mi son sneakers
Lord God mi bridge the water
Cyaa pay the bill mi haffi back the light meter
When mi get pay by Friday
Everything done by Saturday
When mi take one step forward
It coming like mi take 3 step back way
Babylon yo naw go get weh
You haffi pay fi wa yo do to ghetto youth
Mi black brother dem just hold the faith

Selassie high have a plan fi you
When one ghetto youth drop out
10 more born caw the journey continue
10 years from now tell mi wa a go happen to mi daughter

(Repeat)

(2)
Hey Not Nice mi a read out fi the ghetto youth mi no care
That's why when me reach inna Jamaica house weh day
Mi tell dem every ghetto youth have a talent
Babylon why yo waan fi si dem fail
Dem no have no job, dem only future
Is like the maggot, is like the chink
This is not a threat is a warning

Babylon yo naw go get weh
You haffi pay fi wa yo do to ghetto youth
Mi black brother dem just hold the faith
Selassie high have a plan fi you
When one ghetto youth drop out
10 more born caw the journey continue
10 years from now tell mi wa a go happen to mi daughter

(Repeat 2X

Overall Meaning

In Vybz Kartel's song "Where Is the Love (Black Child)," he expresses his deep concern for the plight of ghetto youths who struggle to make ends meet every day. He laments the scarcity of money, houses for sale, and the lack of employment opportunities for the youth. He highlights the difficulties of providing for a family on a shoestring budget of four grand a week, which is barely enough to buy sneakers for a son. Additionally, Kartel touches on the corrupt government, especially its neglect of the poor, and how it continues to keep them oppressed.

He wonders what will happen to his daughter ten years from now and whether she will rise beyond her circumstance or fall prey to the massive corruption that plagues the nation. Despite everything, he believes that there is hope for the black child, and they need to be given opportunities and equal chances to succeed, just like everyone else. He ends by warning Babylon that their neglect of ghetto youths will result in dire consequences.

The song is a reflective and emotional exploration of the challenges faced by black children, with the lyrics and rhythm deeply rooted in reggae culture. It is a poignant reminder of the need for equal opportunities for all and the importance of caring for the future generation.

Line by Line Meaning

Mi si car for sale and mi cyaa buy none
I see cars for sale but cannot afford to buy any.

Mi si house for sale too
I see houses for sale but cannot afford to buy any.

Tell mi when da money deh a go come
Tell me when the money will come.

Ghetto youth left school and cyaa si no feature
Youth from the ghetto leave school with no prospects or opportunities.

10 years from now tell mi wa a go happen to mi daughter
What will happen to my daughter in 10 years?

If everyday wi til the soil
If we work hard every day.

And Babylon no share the spoil
But those in power don't share the rewards.

Everyday wi a suffer
We suffer every day.

Where is the love for the black child
Why isn't there any love for black children?

Mister chin done have him own
Mister Chin has his own businesses and wealth.

Dem treat wi like dog and wi still no get no bone
They treat us like animals, without giving us any benefits.

Tell me where is the love for the black child
Why is there no love for black children?

How mi fi live off a four grand a week
How can I live on only four thousand dollars a week?

Lord Jesus
My Lord.

That a just fi mi son sneakers
That only covers my son's shoes.

Lord God mi bridge the water
I need help to cross this rough patch.

Cyaa pay the bill mi haffi back the light meter
I can't pay the bill, so I have to return the electricity meter.

When mi get pay by Friday
When I get paid on Friday.

Everything done by Saturday
Everything is gone by Saturday.

When mi take one step forward
When I make progress.

It coming like mi take 3 step back way
But it feels like I take three steps backward.

Hey Not Nice mi a read out fi the ghetto youth mi no care
Hey Not Nice, I'm speaking out for the youth from the ghetto, and I don't care.

That's why when me reach inna Jamaica house weh day
That's why when I went to the Jamaican House the other day.

Mi tell dem every ghetto youth have a talent
I told them that every youth from the ghetto has a talent.

Babylon why yo waan fi si dem fail
Why does Babylon want them to fail?

Dem no have no job, dem only future
They have no jobs, and no future.

Is like the maggot, is like the chink
They are treated like maggots or Chinese laborers.

This is not a threat is a warning
This is a warning, not a threat.

Selassie high have a plan fi you
God has a plan for you.

When one ghetto youth drop out
When one youth from the ghetto drops out.

10 more born caw the journey continue
Ten more will be born, because the struggle continues.

Repeat
Repeat previous lines.

Writer(s): Adidja Azim Palmer, Ernesto Fasteino Mitchell, Paul Roosevelt Mitchell, Paul Roosevelt Mitchell Jr.

Contributed by Olivia W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS