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Vybz Kartel

Vybz Kartel's Genre:

Dancehall, Reggae, Ragga

Biography

A controversial figure and a superstar in his homeland of Jamaica, Vybz Kartel was hailed as one of the leading new artists to emerge from the dancehall scene following the release of his 2003 debut album, Up 2 Di Time. Born and raised in the Waterford district of Jamaica, Kartel was only 12 when he released his first single, "Fat Women," under the name Adi Banton. In 1996, he formed Vibes Cartel with his friends Mr Lee and Escobar, but the group quickly dissolved. Vybz would keep the group's name in altered form and became a solo artist; he soon became the protégé of popular dancehall singer Bounty Killer. Kartel began writing for artists on Bounty's Alliance management roster, including the Killer himself, along with the Scare Dem Crew featuring Elephant Man. Vybz broke out on his own in 2002 with a string of solo hits including "Guns Like Mine," "Badman," and "Most High," along with some collaborative hits with reggae singer Wayne Marshall. Being crowned 2002 deejay of the year at the Stone Love Sound System's 30th anniversary party meant the singer had officially arrived amongst the Jamaican dancehall community, but a year later he would break on a worldwide level, releasing his debut Up 2 Di Time to wide acclaim while making headlines thanks to an on-stage clash with Ninjaman during the Sting festival in Kartel's hometown of Portmore. The planned clash was highly anticipated, but when members of Kartel's crew assaulted Ninjaman on-stage, chaos took over with numerous arrests and the future of Sting coming into question, forcing Kartel to make a public apology while announcing a truce with Ninjaman during a press conference held four days after Sting. If all the gun talk and curse words in the man's songs hadn't already labeled him a possibly "dangerous" artist, the Ninjaman incident surely did.

More Up 2 Di Time would land in 2004, the same year that Vybz was nominated for a MOBO award in the U.K., although that was quickly withdrawn along with those of Beenie Man and Sizzla over concerns with lyrics representing homophobia. The J.M.T. album dropped in 2005, but that year would see as many headlines as hits as Kartel and Bounty fell out, trading insults in the Jamaican press as accusations of stolen girlfriends, baby fathers, and bogus songwriting credits flew. Kartel would be out of the Killer-led Alliance a year later, immediately joining forces with one of Bounty's biggest enemies, Beenie Man. He then released a series of diss tracks aimed at Bounty Killer's new protégé, Mavado, and it only took a moment before the Jamaican media was entranced. The next few years would be filled with diss tracks and gossip as young dancehall fans chose sides, declaring themselves Gaza if their allegiance was with Kartel, and Gully if they sided with Mavado. A truce was announced in late 2007, but things escalated during 2008, and in 2009 Vybz released his "Live We Living" single as a call for peace. He also stepped outside his usual genre that year, and partnered with electro producer Diplo for a track on the Major Lazer album Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do. Back home, fans had become so divided into Gaza and Gully camps that gang violence had come into play, prompting Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding to call both artists to the capital for a peace meeting. A peace concert featuring the two artists and promoted by Christopher Coke -- aka "Dudus," the drug lord whose capture later in 2010 would make headlines worldwide thanks to a three-day police standoff -- was planned for early that next year, but was canceled by the country's Minister of Culture. That year's "Clarks" single became a huge hit for Kartel, spawning two more follow-up singles about the shoe brand that would also climb the charts, while the 2010 album Pon Di Gaza 2.0 produced the hits "Ramping Shop" and "Life Sweet." In 2011, Vybz would release the Kingston Story album with Brooklyn house music producer Dre Skull handling the beats. Kartel was arrested in September of that year and charged with the murder of Barrington "Bosie" Burton, a music promoter based in the St. Catherine suburb of Portmore. In America, the Vice label issued a deluxe version of Kingston Story in 2012, and even though Vybz made bail on the Burton murder charge, he remained jailed based on new charges in connection with the murder of alleged gang member Clive "Lizard" Williams. ~ David Jeffries

AOL Radio Stations Vybz Kartel is Featured on (2)

Chiddy Bang Showcase

This is the Chiddy Bang Artist Showcase station on Slacker Radio. Tune in to hear a station built entirely by the members of Chiddy Bang including music hand-picked by Chidera and Noah as well as commentary by each about the songs that influenced their music and their lives.

Vybz Kartel

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Mavado, Mr. Vegas, Beenie Man, Busy Signal, Elephant Man, Gyptian, Bounty Killer, T.O.K, Cham, Lady Saw and more.

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Vybz Kartel's Selected Discography (50)

Rvssian Presents Free Worl Boss Album Cover

Ever Blessed - Single

Head Concussion20123 Songs

Love Yuh to Mi Heart - Single

Dunwell Productions / Young Vibez Productions20121 Songs

Artists Related to Vybz Kartel (50)

	Mavado	A reggae singer influenced by the likes of Bounty Killer and Cutty Ranks, David Constantine Brooks, aka Mavado, was born and raised in one of Kingston, Jamaica's more dangerous ghettos, Cassava Piece.
	Mr. Vegas	Clifford Smith got the nickname Mr. Vegas from his schoolmates who thought he high-kicked the soccer ball like a Vegas showgirl.
	Beenie Man	One of Jamaica's most crucial DJs, Beenie Man's recording career stretches back to 1981, although it was in the sound systems where he later made his mark.
	Busy Signal	After releasing a string of singles in the years 2003-2004, the intense dancehall singer known as Busy Signal shot up Jamaica's singles chart in 2005 with his aptly titled hit "Step Out.
	Elephant Man	The boisterous DJ Elephant Man (aka Energy God) was born O'Neil Bryan in 1974. Overly large ears as a child earned him the nickname "Dumbo Elephant" from his classmates in the Seaview Gardens area of Kingston, Jamaica.
	Gyptian	Windell Beneto Edwards became the singer known as Gyptian when he left his rural home in St. Andrew, Jamaica, and traveled to Portmore, the town where the promoter known as Mr.
	Bounty Killer	Bounty Killer was one of the most aggressive dancehall stars of the '90s, a street-tough rude boy with an unrepentant flair for gun talk.
	T.O.K	From their generally tough stance, it's hard to believe that the reggae dancehall crew known as T.O.
	Cham	Cham, also known as Baby Cham, has become one of the more successful and critically acclaimed dancehall artists throughout the Caribbean -- a stunning feat given that he started up his career only in his teens.
	Lady Saw	The First Lady of Dancehall, Lady Saw is a Jamaican bad girl with loads more attitude and sex appeal than hip-hop mistresses like Lil' Kim and Foxy Brown, plus one of the most distinguishing images in reggae.
	Sizzla	Emerging during the latter half of the '90s, the enormously prolific Sizzla was one of the leaders of the conscious dancehall movement.
	Buju Banton	Buju Banton was one of the most popular dancehall reggae artists of the '90s. Debuting with a series of popular "slack" singles, which drew criticism for their graphic sexuality and homophobia, Banton converted to Rastafarianism and revolutionized dancehall by employing the live instrumentation and social consciousness of classic roots reggae.
	Spragga Benz	Dancehall DJ Spragga Benz first rose to prominence in the early '90s with a series of Jamaican hits that earned him a brief major-label shot with Capitol.
	Wayne Wonder	Dancehall and reggae provided a foundation for Jamaica-born singer Wayne Wonder (born Von Wayne Charles).
	Tanya Stephens	Tanya Stephens (born Vivienne Stephenson on July 2, 1973) was one of the most promising female reggae artists to emerge in the late '90s.
	Jah Cure	Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, but raised in Kingston Town, golden-voiced singer Jah Cure (real name Siccature Alcock) became involved with reggae music as a teenager and rapidly rose to fame in the late '90s only to have his meteoric climb to the top halted by a jail sentence.
	Tony Matterhorn	Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Tony Matterhorn was drawn to the sound system and selector (or DJing) business in high school, and soon after made a name for himself as part of the duo King Addis and his ability to deliver an energetic and exciting live show.
	Capleton	Along with Buju Banton and Sizzla, Capleton spearheaded dancehall's return to reggae tradition, tackling Rastafarian spiritual themes and using classic roots reggae as a musical foundation.
	Assassin
	Wayne Marshall
	Shabba Ranks	During his heyday, Shabba Ranks was arguably the most popular dancehall toaster in the world. He was a massive crossover success in the U.
	Mad Cobra	One of the more popular dancehall DJs of the '90s, Mad Cobra was the first reggae artist to top the Billboard rap singles chart.
	I Wayne	Recalling the reggae sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s, contemporary roots reggae singer I-Wayne (born Cliffroy Taylor) hails from Portmore, Jamaica.
	Sanchez	Reggae singer Sanchez was born Kevin Anthony Jackson in Kingston, Jamaica on November 30, 1964. A member of his church choir throughout adolescence, he became immersed in reggae while in high school, and was eventually named the selector for the local Rambo Sound System.
	Super Cat	A major figure in the positive-consciousness dancehall movement, Jamaican DJ/toaster Super Cat was born William Maragh in a ghetto section of Kingston known as Cockburn Pen or Seivright Gardens (the same area that produced DJ stars like U-Roy and Prince Jazzbo).
	Beres Hammond	One of the most underappreciated reggae artists of his time, Beres Hammond was something of a throwback during his '90s heyday: a soulful crooner indebted to classic rocksteady and American R&B, one who preferred live instrumentation and wrote much of his own material.
	Collie Buddz	Born in New Orleans but raised in Bermuda, dancehall singer Collie Buddz was entranced by the urban music of his island home.
	Tanto Metro	The Jamaican reggae duo of deejay Tanto Metro and vocalist Devonte, members of Patrick Roberts's Shocking Vibes organization, broke in the U.
	Chaka Demus & Pliers	Rough-voiced deejay Chaka Demus (born: John Taylor in Kingston, Jamaica in August, 1963) and smooth-toned vocalist Pliers (born: Everton Bonner in Rockhall Hills, Jamaica on April 4, 1963) have come together to create one of the most successful duos in the history of Jamaican music.
	Damian "Junior Gong" Marley	Damian Marley was only two when his father died, but the youngest of the Marley sons must have learned something.
	Cutty Ranks	Cutty Ranks (born Philip Thomas) is a former butcher that became one of the first to pose an actual challenge to the dominance in the ragga world to Shabba Ranks.
	Shaggy	Emerging in the early '90s, Shaggy was the biggest crossover success in dancehall reggae. Not only did he become the genre's most commercially potent artist in the international market, he was also more than just a typical flash in the pan, managing to sustain a career over the course of several highly popular albums.
	Richie Spice	Kingston-based dancehall singer Richie Spice (a.k.a. Richell Bonner) comes from a reggae family: his brothers include DJ Snatcher Dogg, vocalist Spanner Banner, and producer Pliers of Chakademus and Pliers.
	Terror Fabulous	One of the most acclaimed reggae DJs to emerge during the early '90s was Terror Fabulous. Compared often to Buju Banton, Fabulous issued several releases during the decade, including such titles as Terror Fabulous, Lyrically Rough, and Gwaney Gwaney.
	Red Rat	One of the most endearing brats you're likely to hear, ambitious dancehall DJ Red Rat's semi-comical lyrics, spoiled brat delivery, and frequent intonations of "Oh no!" have won the St.
	Garnett Silk	One of the most exciting young talents to arise out of the '80s dancehall scene, Garnett Silk began his career as a child toaster, but ended it as one of Jamaica's most astonishing singers; with a rich and emotive voice, he took the nation by storm.
	Anthony B	Reggae singer Anthony B. was born Keith Blair in Clarks Town, Jamaica; after performing with church and school choirs throughout his youth, he made his debut as a DJ with the local sound system Shaggy Hi-Power.
	Ninjaman	One of the most popular dancehall DJs of the late '80s and early '90s, Ninjaman was also perhaps the most controversial, thanks to his often violent, progun lyrics.
	Luciano	A superstar in his native Jamaica, Luciano combines his love of God and beauty into a soulful, spiritual blend of rock and R&B-tinged reggae.
	Maxi Priest	Christened the "King of Lovers Rock" by his fans, British reggae star Maxi Priest was one of the most internationally popular reggae singers since Bob Marley.
	Barrington Levy	One of the great success stories of the '80s, Barrington Levy, arrived on the dancehall scene and swiftly remodeled it in his own image.
	Junior Kelly	b. Keith Morgan, 23 September 1969, Kingston, Jamaica, West Indies. Morgan was educated at St. Catherine High School and through peer pressure inherited his brother Jim’s musical legacy.
	Patra	Mixing '90s pop/R&B with the dancehall reggae of her native Jamaica, Lady Patra debuted in 1993 with the album Queen of the Pack.
	Tony Rebel	Tony Rebel sings a peaceful, roots-oriented form of dancehall music designed to inspire his audience to take a more positive approach to life and social change.
	Chaka Demus	One of the most popular DJs of the '90s, the jovial, gruff-voiced Chaka Demus has notched up a string of hits in Jamaica, working on his own and with others, but it was his pairing with the dulcet-toned Pliers that brought the toaster a series of international chart-breakers.
	Sean Paul	Dancehall superstar Sean Paul began scoring hit singles in Jamaica in 1996 and steadily attracted international attention thereafter, eventually breaking into the pop mainstream in 2002 with Dutty Rock.
	Turbulence	b. Sheldon Campbell, Mannings Hill Road, Jamaica, West Indies. Turbulence is widely acknowledged as being discovered by Philip ‘Fatis’ Burrell, although his first recording, ‘Keep It Going’, was actually recorded with Sky High.
	Rupee	Soca sensation Rupee (born Rupert Clarke) got his start with the Barbadian reggae group Coalishun, which he joined in 1997 after strong showings at area talent contests.
	Mad Lion	Weaving a seamless blend of reggae and hip-hop, Mad Lion (born Oswald Priest) created one of the most influential sounds of the past two decades.
	Cobra	Cobra was a shortened alias occasionally used by dancehall star Mad Cobra...........................