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.
badman
Vybz Kartel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wah do yuh?
Me nuh tek intimidation
Cah from me a likkle bwoy, me nuh fear man
And me will mek yuh live up a di station
Bombohole
Go bad up yuh madda
Who boost you fi try diss e don dadda
Yuh bright and yuh facety, you 'tink like grabba
Don't mek me go a De La Vega go link Vaga
When me say, "Ready," you cyaan' say, you cyaan' bada
Di chatty-chatty business, me lef dat to Ragga
So mw rise up di ting dem weh longa than a ladda
Cah me nuh inna chatin', no yappin', no flippin', no floppin'
Mi strappin' fi clappin', mi lass dem fi choppin'
Me trick him, me trap him, di riffle dem whop him
Him run but dem drop him, him choking, him gappin'
People ah run out 'bout, "What happen? What happen?"
Dem run back inside when more shots start attackin'
Di K long like wicket and when dat start battin'
Dem ah bawl, "Jesus Christ," Holy Ghost could not block him (a-whoa)
Hmm
Me a real badman
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pretend (mhm)
And me nuh bad alone pon di weekend
Seh dem a shotta but dem gyal a beat dem (a wah do dem?)
Hmm
Me a real badman
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pretend
From inna di beginning 'til di world end
Some bwoy only bad in front a dem girlfriend
But me nuh soft like cherry
Dis a nuh cartoon
A nuh Tom, a nuh Jerry
Mi gyal, Sheba, di criminal secretary
Mek di pin touch di wind, sumaddy go a cemetery
Di pin me a talk nuh inna no Blackberry
A di firing pin weh inna di black Beretta, ah
Bwoy dress up inna black fi bury
Diss me inna Christmas, nothin' nah merry
Cah me nuh inna chatin', no yappin', no flippin', no floppin'
Mi strappin' fi clappin', mi lass dem fi choppin'
Me trick him, me trap him, di riffle dem whop him
Him run but dem drop him, him choking, him gappin'
People ah run out 'bout, "What happen? What happen?"
Dem run back inside when more shots start attackin'
Di K long like wicket and when dat start battin'
Dem ah bawl, "Jesus Christ," Holy Ghost could not block him (a-whoa)
Hmm
Me a real badman
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pretend (mhm)
And me nuh bad alone pon di weekend
Seh dem a shotta but dem gyal a beat dem (a wah do dem?)
Hmm
Me a real badman
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pretend
From inna di beginning 'til di world end
Some bwoy only bad in front a dem girlfriend
Hmm
Me a real badman
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pretend (mhm)
And me nuh bad alone pon di weekend
Seh dem a shotta but dem gyal a beat dem (a wah do dem?)
Hmm
Me a real badman
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pretend
From inna di beginning 'til di world end
Some bwoy only bad in front a dem girlfriend
Bombohole
Go bad up yuh madda
Feel seh you bad 'tep pon mi Bank Robber
Who boost you fi try diss e don dadda
Yuh bright and yuh facety, you 'tink like grabba
Don't mek me go a De La Vega go link Vaga
When me say, "Ready," you cyaan' say, you cyaan' bada
Di chatty-chatty business, me lef dat to Ragga
So mw rise up di ting dem weh longa than a ladda
Cah me nuh inna chatin', no yappin', no flippin', no floppin'
Mi strappin' fi clappin', mi lass dem fi choppin'
Me trick him, me trap him, di riffle dem whop him
Him run but dem drop him, him choking, him gappin'
People ah run out 'bout, "What happen? What happen?"
Dem run back inside when more shots start attackin'
Di K long like wicket and when dat start battin'
Dem ah bawl, "Jesus Christ," Holy Ghost could not block him (a-whoa)
Hmm
Me a real badman
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pretend (mhm)
And me nuh bad alone pon di weekend
Seh dem a shotta but dem gyal a beat dem (a wah do dem?)
Hmm
Me a real badman
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pretend
From inna di beginning 'til di world end
Some bwoy only bad in front a dem girlfriend
The song "Real Badman" by Vybz Kartel is a dancehall track that portrays the artist as a fearless and ruthless gangster. The lyrics are a reflection of the tough and violent environment that Kartel grew up in, which is filled with street wars, drug trafficking, and territorial disputes. The song starts with Kartel challenging anyone who dares to confront him, stating that he is not afraid of anyone and is willing to take anyone down to the station. He also insults those who try to imitate him, pointing out that they are not as fearless as he is.
The song also features a lot of violence, with Kartel boasting about his ability to outsmart and defeat his enemies. He warns his rivals that he is armed and dangerous and that he has no qualms about using his weapons to eliminate them. The chorus, "Me a real badman, me no pre them," reinforces the message that Kartel is a true gangster who does not fear anyone.
Overall, the song "Real Badman" is a reflection of the violent and dangerous world that Kartel grew up in. It portrays him as a fearless and ruthless gangster who is willing to do whatever it takes to survive in a world where violence and bloodshed are a part of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
Yo, wah me slap one inna yuh face? (hehe)
What will happen if I slap you in the face? (laughs)
A wah do yuh?
What will you do about it?
Me nuh tek intimidation
I'm not intimidated
Cah fra me a likkle bwoy me nuh fear man
Because I'm a small boy, I don't fear anyone
And, me will mek yuh live up a di station
And, I will make you live in the police station
Bombohole
[Expletive]
Go bad up yuh madda
Go insult your mother
Feel seh yuh bad tep pon mi Bank Robber
You think you're brave enough to step on my Bank Robber shoes
Who boots yuh fi try diss di grandadda
Who gave you the boots to try to disrespect the grandfather
Yuh bright and yuh facety, yuh tink like grabba
You're smart and arrogant, you think like a weed smoker
Doe mek mi guh a De La Vega guh link Vaga
Don't make me go to De La Vega to connect with Vaga
When mi seh "ready" yuh cya seh yuh cya botha
When I say "ready" you can't say you don't care
Di chatty chatty business mi lef dat to Ragga
The gossip business, I leave that to Ragga
So mi rise up di ting dem weh longa than a ladda
So I rise up with guns that are longer than a ladder
Cah mi nuh inna chatin', no yappin', no flippin', no floppin'
Because I'm not into chatting, talking, flipping, or flopping
Mi strappin' fi clappin', mi lass dem fi choppin'
I'm ready to shoot, my knives are ready to chop
Mi trick him, mi trap him, di riffle dem whop him
I trick him, I trap him, and my guns hit him
Him run but dem drop him, him choking, him gappin'
He ran but they shot him, he's choking and gasping
People ah run out 'bout "what happen, what happen?"
People are running around asking "what happened, what happened?"
Dem run back inside when more shots start attackin'
They run back inside when more shots are fired
Di K long like wicket and when dat start battin'
The gun is long like a cricket wicket and when it starts firing
Dem ah bawl Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost could not block him (awoh)
They cry out to Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost to save them (awoh)
Me a real badman
I'm a real gangster
Me a tell di pussy dem again me nuh pree dem (mhm)
I'm telling these cowardly people again that I don't care about them (yeah)
And me nuh bad alone pon di weekend
And I'm not only brave on the weekends
Seh dem a shotta but dem gyal a beat dem
They claim to be gunmen but women beat them up
A wah do dem?
What's wrong with them?
From inna di begining til di world end
From the beginning to the end of the world
Some bwoy only bad infront a dem girlfriend
Some guys are only tough in front of their girlfriends
But me nuh soft like cherry
But I'm not soft like a cherry
Dis a nuh cartoon
This is not a cartoon
A nuh Tom, a nuh Jerry
It's not Tom, it's not Jerry
Mi gyal Sheba di criminal secretary
My woman Sheba is the criminal secretary
Mek di pin touch di wind, sumaddy go a cemetery
Let the bullet touch the wind and someone goes to the cemetery
Di pin me a talk nuh inna no blackberry
The pin I'm talking about is not on a Blackberry phone
A di firing pin weh inna di black beretta
It's the firing pin that's inside the black Beretta
Bwoy dress up inna black fi bury
The guy dressed in black is ready to be buried
Diss me inna Christmas notin nah merry
Don't disrespect me during Christmas, nothing is merry about that
Some bwoy only bad infront a dem girlfriend (awoh)
Some guys are only tough in front of their girlfriends (awoh)
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Donovan Keith Bennett, Nigel Staff, Adidja Palmer, Craig Parkes
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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