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.
Why Pree
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me deh yah yuh know worl' boss,
Why pree?
Di gal dem nuff
Fresh every day and such
Di thugs dem nuff
World boss
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
Hol' on,
Di gal dem mi love
Me get pussy nuff nuff
No tun it down, tun it up
Bere badman inna di club
Bad-mind people nuh like me
A so it go, a so it go.
Leggo me nuh, leggo mi nuh
Money me a look fah enu
Hold on nuh,
Gal a brace pon di ting
Mi frass affa weh me smoking
Apple vodka mi drinking
Weh me name pimpin?
World boss
Awhoee
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
Ghetto yute haffi rich,
But when yuh rich don't switch
Nuh bodda move like witch
Don't bodda tun inna nuh fish.
Ghetto yute haffi have ting
It a mi wish, it a mi wish,
Jah Jah put food inna mi dish
So mi seh supm like dis.
Hold on nuh,
Gal a brace pon di ting
Mi frass affa weh me smoking
Apple vodka mi drinking
Weh me name pimpin?
World boss
Awhoee
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
Why pree why pree
The lyrics to Vybz Kartel's song "Why Pree" are emblematic of the dancehall genre, which is known for its braggadocious and sexual content. The song features Kartel, Tommy Lee, and other artists boasting about their material possessions, sexual prowess, and connections to the street. The phrase "why pree" appears in the chorus and means "why watch" or "why pay attention." In this context, it suggests that the artists are above those who would judge them or try to bring them down.
The first verse is delivered by Kartel, who identifies himself as the "world boss" and references his popularity with women and thugs. He repeats the phrase "why pree" several times as a question to those who might question his authority or lifestyle. He then goes on to describe his sexual escapades and boasts about his wealth and status. The chorus repeats the verses' central question, suggesting that the artists are confident in themselves and their position in the world.
The second verse is delivered by Tommy Lee, who similarly flexes his wealth and status while referencing his roots in the "ghetto." He warns against "switching" once one becomes rich and encourages people to "have ting" and maintain their connection to their communities. The verse is a nod to the concept of "holding it down" which is central to dancehall culture.
Overall, "Why Pree" is a typical example of the dancehall genre, with its focus on materialism, sex, and bravado. The song reflects the artists' sense of confidence and control, as well as their disregard for those who would try to judge or bring them down.
Line by Line Meaning
Wha gwaan Tommy Lee?
What's up Tommy Lee?
Me deh yah yuh know worl' boss,
I'm here, you know, world boss.
Why pree?
What's the problem?
Di gal dem nuff
There are plenty of girls.
Fresh every day and such
They're fresh every day and so on.
Di thugs dem nuff
There are plenty of thugs.
When mi touch Mobay
When I come to Mobay.
Di gal dem mi love
The girls that I love.
Me get pussy nuff nuff
I get a lot of pussy.
No tun it down, tun it up
Don't turn it down, turn it up.
Bere badman inna di club
Lots of bad men in the club.
Bad-mind people nuh like me
Envious people don't like me.
A so it go, a so it go.
That's just how it is.
Leggo me nuh, leggo mi nuh
Let me go, don't hold me.
Money me a look fah enu
I'm looking for money.
Gal a brace pon di ting
The girl is holding onto me tightly.
Mi frass affa weh me smoking
I'm feeling good because of what I'm smoking.
Apple vodka mi drinking
I'm drinking apple vodka.
Weh me name pimpin?
What's my name, pimpin?
World boss
I'm the world boss.
Awhoee
An exclamation/celebration sound.
Ghetto yute haffi rich,
The ghetto youths have to become rich.
But when yuh rich don't switch
But when you become rich, don't change.
Nuh bodda move like witch
Don't behave badly like a witch.
Don't bodda tun inna nuh fish.
Don't turn into a fish, or be involved in shady things.
Ghetto yute haffi have ting
Ghetto youths have to have things.
It a mi wish, it a mi wish,
It's my wish, my wish.
Jah Jah put food inna mi dish
God provides for me.
So mi seh supm like dis.
So I'm saying something like this.
Why pree why pree
What's the problem, what's the problem?
Why pree why pree
What's the problem, what's the problem?
Why pree why pree
What's the problem, what's the problem?
Why pree why pree
What's the problem, what's the problem?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ADIDJA PALMER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bubak Janneh
on Life We Living
life we living so hard
Bubak Janneh
on Ghetto Youth
some body send me this nonsese