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 You Doing It Part 2
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Corleone, time to mi strike
(Ask him, ask him) you know, up to the time
Ask him why you keep on doin it
And know you shouldn't try
Why you treat your girls
And eat your girls like they are pie
And your runnin off your beak
Now you know we know that you go low
And you won't speak
When mi ask him why you doin it
He couldn't reply
Saw mi tek off piece and feel di deply
Mi nuh Georgy Porgy nuh puddin nuh pie
If I do fi nyam woman I couldn't not I
Man feast stick to woman like Olive to Popeye
Elephant Man my liva my bliva nuh shy
When bwoy a bleed and a beggar nuh bwoy
Oh my style, hello, fucker, bye bye
Big man a big man bwoy a bwoy
Put it wid gun powda nuh last or a sigh
Send any which bwoy fi get destroyed
This bwoy nuh tek nuh chat seh nuh try
Ask him why you keep on doin it
And know you shouldn't try
Why you treat your girls
And eat your girls like they are pie
Why you keep on talkin
And your runnin off your beak
Now you know we know that you go low
And you won't speak
Nuff a dem nuh love when we rollin high (True!)
When dem wonderin why yuh don't stroll in by (True!)
Nuff a dem nuh love it when yuh rollin deep
When dem wonda why yuh don't stroll in cheap (True!)
Put money inna Big Ford whenever we roll
Skin or unda long coat whenever we roll
Nuh platinum chain
My chain will forever be gold
Who nuh go tend Mr. Madden seh fi dip di gold
Weh mi seh fi tell Madden seh fi dip di gold
Fi a nigga weh yuh figga notha nigga fi gold
And a bitch tek a mumaman di bitch a control
Vendetta our story has neva been told
Ask him why you keep on doin it
And know you shouldn't try
Why you treat your girls
And eat your girls like they are pie
Why you keep on talkin
And your runnin off your beak
Now you know we know that you go low
And you won't speak
When mi ask him why you doin it
He couldn't reply
Saw mi tek off piece and feel di deply
Mi nuh Georgy Porgy nuh puddin nuh pie
If I do fi nyam woman I couldn't not I
Man feast stick to woman like Olive to Popeye
Elephant Man my liva my bliva nuh shy
When bwoy a bleed and a beggar nuh bwoy
Oh my style, hello, fucker, bye bye
Big man a big man bwoy a bwoy
Put it wid gun powda nuh last or a sigh
Send any which bwoy fi get destroyed
This bwoy nuh tek nuh chat seh nuh try
Ask him why you keep on doin it
And know you shouldn't try
Why you treat your girls
And eat your girls like they are pie
Why you keep on talkin
And your runnin off your beak
Now you know we know that you go low
And you won't speak
Nuff a dem nuh love when we rollin high (True!)
When dem wonderin why yuh don't stroll in by (True!)
Nuff a dem nuh love it when yuh rollin deep
When dem wonda why yuh don't stroll in cheap (True!)
Put money inna Big Ford whenever we roll
Skin or unda long coat whenever we roll
Nuh platinum chain
My chain will forever be gold
Who nuh go tend Mr. Madden seh fi dip di gold
Weh mi seh fi tell Madden seh fi dip di gold
Fi a nigga weh yuh figga notha nigga fi gold
And a bitch tek a mumaman di bitch a control
Vendetta our story has neva been told
Ask him why you keep on doin it
And know you shouldn't try
Why you treat your girls
And eat your girls like they are pie
Why you keep on talkin
And your runnin off your beak
Now you know we know that you go low
And you won't speak
The lyrics to Vybz Kartel's song "Why You Doing It Part 2" address the questions of why one would continue to engage in negative behaviors that they know are wrong. The opening lines of the song mention "Don" and "Corleone," likely alluding to the legendary gangster figures Don Corleone and Don Vito Corleone from The Godfather, indicating that Kartel sees himself as a powerful figure in the music industry. He then asks the subjects of the song to explain why they continue their bad habits, including treating women poorly and running their mouths, despite the knowledge that they should not. The chorus repeats this question and points out that they "go low" and refuse to take responsibility for their actions.
Line by Line Meaning
See mi a seh Don, timeless timeless
Vybz Kartel is introducing himself, saying that he is known as Don and his music is timeless.
Corleone, time to mi strike
He is referencing The Godfather and saying that it is his time to make a move.
(Ask him, ask him) you know, up to the time
He is asking someone a question while repeating 'ask him' and saying that they already know the answer.
Ask him why you keep on doin it
He is calling out someone for their behavior and asking them to explain why they keep doing it.
And know you shouldn't try
He is telling the person that they should stop their behavior because it is wrong.
Why you treat your girls
He is specifically calling out the person for how they treat women.
And eat your girls like they are pie
He is saying that the person is objectifying and using women, treating them like something to consume.
Why you keep on talkin
He is criticizing the person for being all talk but not taking action to change their behavior.
And your runnin off your beak
He is using slang to say that the person is talking too much but not doing anything.
Now you know we know that you go low
He is saying that the person's behavior is shameful and others are aware of it.
And you won't speak
He is calling out the person for not having the courage to speak up and explain their behavior.
Nuff a dem nuh love when we rollin high (True!)
He is saying that many people are jealous of his success.
When dem wonderin why yuh don't stroll in by (True!)
He is saying that people are questioning why he doesn't associate with them anymore now that he is successful.
Nuff a dem nuh love it when yuh rollin deep
He is saying that people don't like it when he is surrounded by a lot of people.
When dem wonda why yuh don't stroll in cheap (True!)
He is saying that people are wondering why he doesn't come around anymore unless there's something in it for him.
Put money inna Big Ford whenever we roll
He is saying that they bring a lot of money with them when they travel.
Skin or unda long coat whenever we roll
He is saying that they carry guns with them when they travel, even if they're not visible.
Nuh platinum chain
He is saying that he doesn't wear expensive jewelry to show his wealth.
My chain will forever be gold
He is saying that he prefers gold jewelry.
Who nuh go tend Mr. Madden seh fi dip di gold
He is telling someone to take his gold chain to Mr. Madden to get it cleaned.
Weh mi seh fi tell Madden seh fi dip di gold
He is repeating his instruction to take the chain to Mr. Madden to get it cleaned.
Fi a nigga weh yuh figga notha nigga fi gold
He is saying that despite people thinking he would take his gold chain to another jeweler, he prefers to stick with Mr. Madden.
And a bitch tek a mumaman di bitch a control
He is saying that some women try to control or manipulate men by using sex or motherhood.
Vendetta our story has neva been told
He is saying that there is more to his story and the story of his group Vendetta than people realize.
Saw mi tek off piece and feel di deply
He is saying that someone witnessed him taking off a piece (gun) and it had an impact on them.
Mi nuh Georgy Porgy nuh puddin nuh pie
He is saying that he is not someone to mess around with.
If I do fi nyam woman I couldn't not I
He is saying that he enjoys being with women too much to stop.
Man feast stick to woman like Olive to Popeye
He is saying that he is attracted to women like Popeye is attracted to Olive.
Elephant Man my liva my bliva nuh shy
He is referencing Elephant Man and saying that he has no shame.
When bwoy a bleed and a beggar nuh bwoy
He is saying that when someone is in trouble, other people won't help them unless they stand to benefit.
Oh my style, hello, fucker, bye bye
He is commenting on his own style and using slang to say 'hello' and 'goodbye.'
Big man a big man bwoy a bwoy
He is saying that regardless of age, people should act like adults instead of children.
Put it wid gun powda nuh last or a sigh
He is saying that if someone disrespects him, they will face consequences and won't last long.
Send any which bwoy fi get destroyed
He is threatening to retaliate against anyone who crosses him.
This bwoy nuh tek nuh chat seh nuh try
He is saying that he won't tolerate people talking about him without backing it up with action.
Lyrics Β© DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ASHANTI S. DOUGLAS, ANDRE S. PARKER, IRVING DOMINGO LORENZO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gazagxrlx2974
One of the many collabs of Wayne Marshall and Kartel.
@unanimusgaza105
Gaza Gxrl \x/ GG yuh listen big big song mi love, β€β€β€ππππ₯π₯π―π #FWB fr dem two did had good chemistry together
@anthonym3526
T I M E L E S Sπ₯π₯π₯π₯π₯
@kenardoheslop2833
Ask kartel himself he'll tell u back in the days Wayne Marshall did the best compatible collabs together...β€then here comes the singer the next best collaborator with him...
@venececampbell3811
Still listening this hit in 2023 π―π―π―
@queenmichieboo7467
π₯π₯π₯π₯ #Up2DiTime
@drmatey
I needed to hear this!!
@mediahouseja709
2018 and still bad
@monazaheer2644
gangsta track
@unanimusgaza105
Kartel response fi dancehall after him fwd inna the game