Adidja Azim Palmer (born 7 January 1976),. RRRMusic.com; retrieved 26 December 2014.. 6lyrics.com; retrieved 27 December 2014.. Musictory.com; retrieved 26 December 2014. better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall artist. Among his various nicknames, he is referred to as Worl' Boss, Teacha and King of Dancehall. As summarized by Rolling Stone, he "attained folk-hero status in Jamaica with provocative lyrics, and a mischievous public persona", and "few have captivated [the dancehall] audience – or offended the sensibilities of its detractors – as consistently and thoroughly as Kartel." He has also been credited as an inspiration for the dancehall-infused work of a number of Western artists, including Drake, who has cited Kartel as being one of his "biggest inspirations".
Kartel's singles include "Romping Shop" (2009), "Dancehall Hero" (2010), and "Summer Time" (2011). He has collaborated with a number of hip hop and R&B artists such as Major Lazer, Rihanna, Missy Elliott, Travis Scott and Alison Hinds.
In 2014, Kartel was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his associate Clive "Lizard" Williams. Kartel often released new music despite his imprisonment, having released over 50 new songs in 2016 alone. His conviction was quashed in March 2024 by the UK Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, who cited juror misconduct and declared that the Jamaican Court of Appeal had to decide if a retrial would take place. On 31 July 2024, Kartel was released from prison after the Court of Appeal declined to retry the Williams case.
Life and career 1993–2008: Rise to prominence Palmer started his career as a teenager in 1993 with his first recording "Love Fat Woman", which he released on Alvin Reid's label "One Heart" using the moniker "Adi Banton", an homage to Buju Banton.Biography: Vybz Kartel aka Adijah Palmer , UrbanIslandz.com, 28 August 2010; accessed 25 December 2014. Palmer was later part of the three-member group "Vybz Kartel", keeping the name for himself after the group split up. While still a member of the group, he claims to have written nearly 30 songs, including "Gal Clown".Max, James. Vybz Kartel: I wrote about 30-odd songs for Bounty Killer . UrbanIslandz.com. 17 December 2010. He eventually became a protege of Bounty Killer.
Kartel rose to prominence in 2003 after having a string of hit songs in Jamaica. The year culminated in a pre-planned on-stage clash with Ninjaman at the annual dancehall festival Sting, held in Kartel's hometown of Portmore. The clash turned violent when Kartel's crew members, as well as Kartel himself, threw punches and assaulted Ninjaman onstage.Mills, Claude. Terror at Sting . Jamaica Gleaner. 28 December 2003; retrieved 26 December 2014. While Kartel's manager initially blamed Ninjaman, Kartel himself quickly apologised to Ninjaman and festival organizers for the fracas.Vybz Kartel apologises to Ninja Man, Sting organisers . Jamaica Observer. 30 December 2003. Retrieved 3011-3-3. Four days after the incident, the two artists appeared before the press to announce a settlement of their differences and to end any animosity.Sinclair, Glenroy; Smith, Germaine. 'We were wrong' - Ninja Man, Vybz Kartel arrested and charged following Sting 'slug-fest' . Jamaica Gleaner. 31 December 2003; retrieved 26 December 2014.
From the beginning through the midst of his ongoing career, Kartel released a number of albums through the UK-based label Greensleeves Records, such as Up 2 Di Time, More Up 2 Di Time, and J.M.T.. He established his own label, Adidjahiem/Notnice Records, with his business partner and producer Ainsley "Notnice" Morris.GoodHeart, Korry. 'Not Nice', the man 'engineering' the Empire dominance in dancehall . RisingStarsTV.Net. 18 January 2010. After splitting with Bounty Killer-led Alliance in 2006, Kartel joined the Portmore Empire, a group of dancehall DJs and singers from his Portmore neighbourhood that he signed to his newly founded Adidjahiem/Notnice Records. The members included Popcaan, Tommy Lee, Blak Ryno and Jah Vinci to name a few.
In 2008, Corey Todd, an American businessman, signed Vybz Kartel to an endorsement deal for Vybz Rum. The relationship between Todd and Kartel developed into a business partnership. Together they launched Daggerin Condom and Street Vybz Rum. Todd then purchased Jamaica's most popular dancehall nightclub, Asylum, which became the home to their weekly event called Street Vybz Thursday.Henry, Krista. Kartel Takes Over Club . Jamaica Star. 4 February 2010. Retrieved 4 March 2011.Introducing ‘Daggerin Condoms’ by Vybz Kartel . YardFlex. 2 September 2008. Street Vybz Rum production was stopped in 2011 because of a disagreement between Kartel and Todd. However, the collaboration resumed in 2012 as the two settled their differences, and despite Kartel's ongoing incarceration.
Controversial lyrics In 2004, Kartel's nomination for the UK MOBO Awards was withdrawn due to controversy surrounding the homophobic content of his lyrics. Six years later, he endorsed the Reggae Compassionate Act, a petition organized by the Peter Tatchell Foundation and LGBT advocacy groups to oppose homophobia in music.
As described by Rolling Stone, Kartel is "credited with helping to erode Jamaica's long-held taboo against oral sex by singing about blow jobs". In September 2011, the National Communications Network of Guyana banned Vybz Kartel from the airwaves—the first such action against a specific artist in Guyana. NCN spokesman Martin Goolsarran said his music contained "obscene lyrics" and brought "nothing positive" to the entertainment industry, on 21 September after a week of internal debate. He said NCN was reviewing the lyrics of other musicians and could ban them as well.
Feud with Mavado A public feud between Kartel and former collaborator Mavado arose towards the end of 2006, stemming from Vybz's much-publicised departure from the dancehall conglomerate group The Alliance. The feud resulted in numerous diss tracks released, in which each artist dissed the other and their associates over popular dancehall rhythms.Dreisinger, Baz. Reggae's Civil War Why Mavado and Vybz Kartel might be the Biggie and Tupac of Dancehall . Village Voice, 2 March 2010; accessed 26 December 2014. In a police-overseen press conference in March 2007, both Mavado and Vybz Kartel publicly announced an end to hostilities and apologized to fans. However, by the summer of 2008, tensions flared with a renewal of "diss tracks" from each artist, and a lyrical clash between the two at Sting 2008 left mixed views as to the "winner".Mavado and Vybz Kartel at it again . YardFlex.com. 22 August 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2011.Black, Francine. Entertainment insiders say... STING CLASH WAS A DRAW , Jamaica Star. 29 December 2008; retrieved 15 April 2011.
Most of 2009 saw a continuation of the public feud, which dominated Jamaican media and, to a certain extent, Jamaican culture, with the two artists' factions, Gaza (Kartel) and Gully (Mavado), being adopted by Jamaican youth, in some cases leading to street violence.Boyne, Ian. The Gully-Gaza war . Jamaica Gleaner. 20 September 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2011.BEATEN FOR 'GULLY' MUSIC - Driver assaulted, householder threatened after playing Mavado songs , Jamaica Star, 4 August 2009; retrieved 15 April 2011. On 8 December 2009, Kartel and Mavado met with Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding in an attempt to end the feud, which had by that time fueled mob attacks in some of the inner-city neighbourhoods of Kingston.Prime Minister to meet with Kartel, Mavado . Jamaica Gleaner. 8 December 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2011. The two had performed together on-stage the previous night in a sign of goodwill at the West Kingston Jamboree, a concert promoted by drug lord Christopher "Dudus" Coke. After the truce in December 2009, the two artists were scheduled to perform an unity concert in March 2010 in Barbados, which was later cancelled by Barbadian Prime Minister David Thompson.Barbados PM says no to Mavado, Vybz Kartel show . Jamaica Observer. 26 March 2010; retrieved 15 April 2011.
2009–2013: Crossover and imprisonment In 2009, his song featuring Jamaica's "Queen of Dancehall" Spice, "Romping Shop", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart,Ramping Shop Hits The Billboard Chart . Dancehall.Mobi. Retrieved 16 February 2011. and "Dollar Sign" was in regular rotation on urban radio stations in the US.WRFG Radio Free Georgia . Retrieved 15 April 2011. His 2010 single "Clarks" was one of his biggest international successes, remaining in the top three reggae singles and gaining the most radio plays in North America for 40 weeks.Clarks: De Mixtape Raw Hits Stores . Jamaicans.com. 5 January 2011. "Clarks" was also featured on the TV series So You Think You Can Dance Canada,So You Think You Can Dance - Canada (Vybz Kartel - 'Clarks') . Harrington Kommunication. 3 September 2010. and on a CNN segment on dancehall dance.CNN Reports Jamaican Dancehall Goes Global . The Sweet 7. 21 January 2011. When his singles "Clarks", "Clarks 2 (Clarks Again)" and "Clarks 3 (Wear Weh Yuh Have)" were released in 2010, its sales numbers and prices in Jamaica increased considerably. In 2011, he released his own shoe line, named Addi's, as well as his own line of "cake soap", a type of soap primarily used for clothes. Cake soap is less commonly utilised for skincare, to treat skin conditions such as acne. However, Kartel's brand was intended for the purpose of skin lightening or bleaching.Henry, Krista. Kartel to start own shoe brand . Jamaica Star; retrieved 25 December 2014.
MTV's Vice Guide to Dancehall featured Kartel at his weekly dance party, Street Vybz Thursday.Henry, Krista. Dancehall episode for MTV series . Jamaica Star; retrieved 26 December 2014. Vybz Kartel has also hosted his own reality television show "Teacha's Pet" on CVM Jamaica broadcast channel, the first reality television show hosted by a dancehall artist in Jamaica. The premise of "Teacha's Pet" found 20 women living in a Kingston house vying for the artist's affection; the show's lascivious content elicited condemnation of its sponsor, telecommunications company LIME. The show came to a halt with the artist's arrest on murder charges in September 2011.
Murder conviction On 29 September 2011, Kartel was arrested by police for cannabis possession. Jamaica's Major Investigation Taskforce (MIT) later charged him with the murder of Jamaican businessman Barrington Burton, conspiracy and illegal possession of a firearm. While in prison in 2012, his book The Voice Of The Jamaican Ghetto: Incarcerated but not Silenced, co-written with business associate Michael Dawson, was published.Campbell, Curtis (2013) "Vybz Kartel's Book Offered At University - 'Voice Of The Ghetto' Gets Princeton Endorsement ", Jamaica Gleaner, 11 August 2013; retrieved 11 August 2013
Though Kartel was granted bail for the Burton murder on 23 March 2012, for JMD$3,000,000, he remained in prison in connection with a second murder, of Clive 'Lizard' Williams, of Waterford, St Catherine. Kartel and his associates Vanessa "Gaza Slim" Saddler and Andre ‘Pim-Pim’ Henry were charged with perverting the course of justice after Saddler allegedly claimed that Williams had robbed her in order to mislead the police into believing that he was still alive.Mundle, Tanesha (2012) "Nov 12 trial date for Kartel ", Jamaica Observer, 30 August 2012; retrieved 1 September 2012. Kartel's trial was originally scheduled for 21 January 2013, but had to be postponed due to a lack of jurors, and was rescheduled for 11 July.