Vybz Kartel is the most talented DJ and currently the hottest commodity to step out of Jamaica this year. His amazing lyrical flow teamed with a unique sound as displayed on some of this year’s hottest riddims has set him above many dancehall artists. Vybz Kartel (real name Adidja Palmer), one of six siblings, grew up in the Portmore district Waterford in the parish St Catherine. He attended Calabar High School in Kingston but was expelled. He wanted to finish his school and continued his education at a Technical College. Due to his Uncle being a DJ, Adidja was exposed to a wide range of music from a young age. He would listen to amongst others Country & Western, Sam Cooke and Ninjaman. His cites his own musical heroes as Bounty Killer, Charlie Chaplin, Papa San, Buju Banton, Will Smith and KRS-1. All, he says, have helped him to create his own brand of dancehall. Vybz Kartel started his journey towards a career in music when most would be playing marbles in the playground. At the tender age of 10, Vybz began writing his own lyrics, which he went on to show at a weekly talent show called Gong in Kingston. Gong followed the concept of the famous Apollo theatre, New York. Unfortunately Adidja was continuously gonged off! Again at 12 years old, he went on to record his debut single «Fat Women». Alvin Reid produced the song on the One Heart label. Adidja used the name Adi Banton, using the surname of one of his heroes Buju Banton. The song failed to get recognized but Adidja was unfazed and determined to continue his struggle of making it within the music business. In 1996 Adidja along with his friends Mr Lee and Escobar formed a group and called it Vybz Cartel. They took their name from a movie about a gangster called Pablo Escobar and his drug cartel. Unfortunately cracks began to appear in the group due to internal frictions. The group soon split leaving Adidja again to continue alone.
Adidja chose to keep the name of the group changing the C to K in Kartel and hence the new artist we know as VYBZ KARTEL was born. In 1998, Vybz Kartel appeared at the Champions In Action stage show, held in his hometown Portmore. He gave an outstanding performance showing many his raw talent as a DJ in the making. Finally the right doors started to open and welcome him in. It was at this show that Bounty Killer noticed the young artist with a lot of potential. Rohan Butler, Vybz’s manager, introduced him to the Warlord and a mutual respect was immediately forged. He started to pen lyrics for Bounty Killer including such hits as High Grade Forever, Warlord Rule The World, Gal Clown. With the help of Bounty Killer, Vybz was ready to really start making a name for himself. His notable collaboration from earlier this year (2001) with Wayne Marshall on «New Millennium» (Mad Ants) and «Why You Doing It?» (Krazy) that suddenly and most deservedly catapulted him to stardom in the dancehall. Vybz Kartel started to create a huge buzz around himself late last year when he was named DJ of the year at Stone Love’s 30th Anniversary dance.
