Adidja Azim Palmer (born 7 January 1976), better known as Vybz Kartel, is a Jamaican dancehall musician.
Among his various nicknames, he is referred to as Worl' Boss or Teacha.
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."
1993
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.
Palmer was later part of the three-member group "Vybz Cartel", 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".
He eventually became a protege of Bounty Killer.
2003
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 crewmembers, as well as Kartel himself, threw punches and assaulted Ninjaman onstage.
While Kartel's manager initially blamed Ninjaman, Kartel himself quickly apologised to Ninjaman and festival organizers for the fracas.
Four days after the incident, the two artists appeared before the press to announce a settlement of their differences and to end any animosity.
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.
2006
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, and Tommy Lee.
2008
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.
2009
Kartel's singles include "Romping Shop" (2009), "Dancehall Hero" (2010), and "Summer Time" (2011).
Having collaborated with a number of hip hop and R&B artists such as Major Lazer, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Digga D and Unknown T, 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".
In 2009 his song featuring Jamaican deejay Spice, "Romping Shop", debuted on the Billboard Top 100 Singles chart, and "Dollar Sign" was in regular rotation on urban radio stations in the US.
2010
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" was also featured on the TV series So You Think You Can Dance Canada, and on a CNN segment on dancehall dance.
When his singles "Clarks", "Clarks 2 (Clarks Again)" and "Clarks 3 (Wear Weh Yuh Have)" in 2010, its sales numbers and prices in Jamaica increased considerably.
2011
Street Vybz Rum production was stopped in 2011 because of a disagreement between Kartel and Todd.
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.
MTV's Vice Guide to Dancehall featured Kartel at his weekly dance party, Street Vybz Thursday.
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.
On 29 September 2011, Kartel was arrested by police for cannabis possession.
2012
However, the collaboration resumed in 2012 as the two settled their differences, and despite Kartel's ongoing incarceration.
2014
In 2014, Kartel was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of his associate Clive "Lizard" Williams.
He will be eligible for parole once he has served a minimum of 35 years in prison.
2016
Despite being imprisoned, Kartel continues to release new music prolifically, having released over 50 new songs in 2016 alone.
2020
His hit song "Fever" was certified gold in June 2020.
