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The competition does not get much tougher than in the world of Jamaican dancehall music but, occasionally, an artist comes through who stands head and shoulders above the competition. “The people want the real stuff… and that’s where I fall in. “ Vybz Kartel
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| Date Added: Jun 13, 2014, Date Updated: Jul 24, 2014 Copyright (C) 2024 Dub Store Sound Inc. |
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| Real Name: |
Adidja Palmer |
| Jan 7, 1976 - |
| Place of Birth: |
Waterhold
Portmore
Jamaica |
Related Artist(s):
Mavado
Popcaan
Spice
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Vybz Kartel, 'The War Angel', born Adidja Palmer 7th January 1976 in Kingston's Victoria Jubilee Hospital, was brought up with his five brothers and sisters by his grandmother in Waterford in the Portmore district. Known to his childhood friends as 'deejay' he was expelled from Calabar High School in Kingston possibly because "I never went to High School but I went to school high!" and subsequently completed his education at Technical College.
Adidja's uncle was a deejay and he listened to a wide range of music from a variety of country & western artists through Sam Cooke to Ninjaman but recalled that Bounty Killer and Charlie Chaplin, together with Will Smith and KRS1, were his musical mentors. Adidja began holding the mic. at dances with local sound systems including Electro Force and Supa T and, by the age of ten, began attending a weekly talent show known as Gong in Kingston's now defunct Coney Amusement Park. The Coney crowd were legendarily unforgiving and, if a performer failed to live up to their expectations, they would be 'gonged' off stage. Adidja was 'gonged' off a number of times! But this only served only to strengthen him and, by the age of twelve, he had recorded his debut single at Gussie Clarke(Augustus Gussie Clarke)'s Music Works studio, 'Adi Love Fat Women', for veteran producer Alvin Reid's One Heart label. Released under the name of Adi Banton the record was not a hit but, once again, Adidja took this as a signal to keep on fighting.
In 1996 a film detailing the exploits of South American gangster Pablo Escobar inspired Adi and two friends, 'Mr Lee' and 'Escobar', to form a musical collective that they named Vibes Cartel after Escobar's notorious drugs cartel but the combine did not last.
"The reason why we split is the first big show I got the management team thought that in order to move on it was best if one of us did it..."
But Adidja retained the name, with a change of spelling to Vybz Kartel, which led to the question "can one man be a cartel?" .The answer was an indubitable yes!
"I'm pushing the vibes of a whole cartel. My energy is like a group thing..."
At Portmore's 'Champions In Action' show in 1998 Vybz Kartel gave an outstanding performance to a home crowd where Bounty Killer, one of his musical heroes, recognised his precocious talent. After Vybz Kartel's manager, Rohan Butler, had made the introductions Vybz began to write lyrics for Bounty Killer including hits such as 'High Grade Forever', 'Warlord Rule The World' and 'Gal Clown'. This association ensured that, from now on, Vybz would always be at the epicentre of the Jamaican dancehall scene and, from the beginning of the new Millennium Vybz Kartel released hit record after hit record after hit record on a run that has never stopped... or ever looked like stopping. Now in the enviable position of being able to work with the best producers Vybz Kartel's lyrical fecundity was backed at all times by the rhythms of the moment including 'Da Rolling' ('Scarecrow') and 'Woman A Cry' ('Bun Bun'). Together with vocalist Wayne Marshall in combination style the pair hit with 'New Millennium' on the 'Mad Ants' rhythm and introduced a brand new catch phrase to the dancehall dictionary:
"Inna me Karl Kani with a bottle of tall Canei..."
After being crowned deejay of the year at Stone Love's Thirtieth Anniversary Party in 2002 Vybz Kartel's uncompromising commitment and interaction with a number of dancehall deejays over the next decade proved to be reminiscent of the pre big fight displays between heavyweight boxers: everyone is aware that it helps to sell tickets and/or records but it is also indicative of a very real tension and fierce competitiveness. After a "nasty on stage brawl" with Ninjaman at the Sting Stage Show on Boxing Day 2003, where a fight broke out between Ninja Man, Vybz Kartel and their respective entourages, Vybz Kartel publicly apologised to Ninjaman. After splitting with Bounty Killer's Alliance in 2006 Vybz established the Portmore Empire featuring up and coming local youths including Popcaan, Gaza Slim, Shawn Storm and many other talented vocalists and deejays from the Portmore district. A series of releases, and counteraction releases, followed Vybz Kartel's departure from The Alliance with Vybz and Mavado as the premier protagonists. At a tense press conference in spring 2007 both artists publicly announced the end of the feud and apologised to their respective retinues. But, during the summer of 2008, the war of words began again... leading to a heated Vybz Kartel and Mavado lyrical showdown at Sting 2008. The altercation continued to escalate, accelerated the following year and, on 8th December 2009 after deejaying together the previous night at the West Kingston Jamboree, the pair met with Jamaican Prime Minister, Bruce Golding, to try and cease the schism. By now the on record arguments had sparked violent street clashes between the youth followers of Vybz Kartel (known as Gaza) and Mavado (known as Gully).
In 2003 Vybz Kartel had broke onto the international stage after supporting 50 Cent on his sell out stage show in Kingston and he reinforced this by his show stopping appearances on Federation Sound and Cash Money mix tapes, storming duets with Rhianna and Missy Elliott, remixes and collaborations with Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne & Eminem, countless spins on Hot 97 and a mix up release that included not only the man himself but also Notorious B.I.G., Shabba Ranks and Bob Marley! MTV's 'Vice Guide to Dancehall' featured Kartel at his weekly dance party, Street Vybz Thursday and 'Ramping Shop' with Spice burst on to the Billboard Top 100 Singles charts. 'Clarks' from 2010 gave Vybz Kartel one of his biggest international hit records which featured on the mainstream TV series 'So You Think You Can Dance Canada'.
One of the select group of Jamaican performers who have been able to command the total and unquestioning respect of their hard core American hip hop counterparts Vybz Kartel has successfully reached far beyond the traditional reggae audience without ever compromising his roots. His popularity at home in Jamaica through releases on his Adidjahiem/Notnice Records label (in conjunction with his business partner and producer Ainsley 'Notnice' Morris) has never ever faltered and his lyrics are invariably delivered with tongue twisting, verbal dexterity, a sense of humour, insight and intelligence. His reality TV show 'Teacha's Pet' on CVM Jamaica was the first reality show to be hosted by a Jamaican dancehall performer.
"Dancehall with lyrics. Crazy lyrics! Witty lyrics! Intellectual lyrics! You know what I mean? A lot of poems! A lot of metaphors! A lot of similes! ...Vybz Kartel is the teacher!" |
| Jun 13, 2014 (Jul 24, 2014 Update) Text by Harry Hawks
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