Photo: Pelpa Time Production / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)

Vybz Kartel

ヴァイブス・カーテル　/　ゔぁいぶす・かーてる

Singer from Jamaica

January 7, 1976 (age 50)　・　Kingston, Jamaica

singer
composer
record producer

My Take

What fascinates me about Vybz Kartel is how completely he embodies the contradictions of dancehall itself. Rolling Stone described a folk hero with provocative lyrics and a mischievous public persona, and I think that captures it: he is teacher and provocateur in one body, hence the nickname Teacha. Few artists polarize an audience so thoroughly while remaining indispensable to the genre's vocabulary. As a writer, producer, and entrepreneur, he treats dancehall as both an art form and an empire. I don't always agree with where he points his pen, but I never doubt that Kingston's musical pulse runs through it. That kind of gravitational pull is genuinely rare.

Overview

Adidja Azim Palmer (born 7 January 1976), 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 det…

Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. Profile

Name (English): Vybz Kartel
Name (Japanese): ヴァイブス・カーテル
Reading: ゔぁいぶす・かーてる
Born: January 7, 1976 (age 50)
Zodiac / Chinese zodiac: Capricorn / Dragon
Origin: Kingston, Jamaica
Blood type: Private
Height: Private
Agency: Private
Occupation: singer / composer / record producer / entrepreneur / songwriter

2. Background

Elementary school: Private
Junior high: Private
High school: Private
University: Private

3. Relationships

Spouse: Private
Children: Private
Parents: Private
Siblings: Private

4. Personality

Motto

Private

6. Links

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