Much maligned, maybe misunderstood, Vybz Kartel (aka "Addi the Teacha," "Addi the Emperor," or simply "Addi"), if just for his voluminous output and lyrical mastery, is definitely one of the top deejays in the history of dancehall music. He rose to prominence in the late 1990s, after he impressed dancehall icon Bounty Killer with his lyrical ability. Killer took Kartel under his wings and the relationship proved mutually beneficial: Kartel wrote several well-received songs for Killer, while Killer accepted Kartel into the Killer-led Alliance, making Kartels ascent in the business possibly easier than it would otherwise have been. Kartel rose rapidly, snagging several Deejay-of-the-Year awards, collaborating with several international hip-hop and pop stars, and recording creditable album sales with several projects for UK-based Greensleeves Records. Along the way, Kartel was earning a reputation as a nonconformist who was not afraid to tackle issues, individuals, and institutions.

In 2006, Kartel eventually split from the Alliance after a much-publicized rift with the Alliance patriarch Bounty Killer. Kartel would spend much of the next two years embroiled in lyrical and legal confrontations with members of the Alliance and other entertainment personalities. The constant feuding made him a target of the media, the politicians, and the church, less appealing to some record companies and sponsors, but elevated his standing in the eyes of many marginalized and rebellious youths who shared his seeming distaste for establishment and tradition. It was during this period that the Portmore Empire with Kartel at the helm was conceived.

Comprising, amongst others, Craig Dennis, Deva Bratt, Shawn Storm, Doza Medicine, Omeil, Babydoll, Earthworm, and Black Ryno, the Empire, with its band of mainly upstarts, positioned itself as a legitimate rival to the Alliance, which constituted far more seasoned deejays. Some of the Empire's best early works were recorded for producer Stephen McGregor and at Father's Romie's Exodus Studios. Addi and the Empire focuses on the tracks recorded out of Father Romie's studio for either Father Romie or Deejay Jayy.

The Empire got off to an auspicious start for Father Romie with the eponymous Portmore Empire riddim, an edgy up-tempo beat that Kartel used to claim his rights to the Empire with the line "Addi the Emperor's empire" in Addi the Emperor. Still, the Portmore Empire riddim will be most remembered for Pre Wi (Craig Dennis) and Skin Fi Burn (Portmore Empire), a searing hot combination featuring most of the initial Portmore Empire cast that threw down the gauntlet to the Alliance and unveiled the potential of the Empire to be a bonafide recording powerhouse; however, the cohesion that we saw on Skin fi Burn would quickly begin to fade. The untimely passing of the talented singjay Craig Dennis in a bike accident, robbed the Empire of its most gifted member, next to Kartel, and its foil for Mavado, the singjay/deejay member of the Alliance who was asserting himself as Kartel's main adversary. The Empire continued to press after Dennis' passing, but it was evident that all was not well in the camp.

At the start of 2008, Father Romie's groundbreaking Resident Evil riddim, provided the Empire with another platform to chase commercial and critical success; however, for the most part the Emperor and his subjects lost the plot as most of the members chose to deliver graphic lyrics that celebrated violence and raunchy behavior. The Empire's offerings on Resident Evil coupled with some of its members frequent run-ins with the police provided fodder for sections of the Jamaican media and wider public that were arguing that violent and lewd lyrics were contributing to Jamaica's high crime rate and breakdown in morality.

After Resident Evil, the discord in the Empire's camp became obvious. Kartel publicly distanced himself from Deva Bratt, who was embattled in a legal controversy that alleged unsavory behavior on his part. Separately, Omeil and Babydoll uneventfully withdrew from the Empire, with some arguing that their departure was tied to Kartel's paying more attention to Lisa Hype. Shawn Storm and Doza Medicine, who promised much with his ingenious delivery on Fire Squeeze, were struggling to remain relevant. Earthworm stuck around for the Ghetto Gospel project; however, after being branded as an informer following another Kartel arrest episode, he "took away himself" to his hometown of Mobay and has not been heard from since in the context of the Empire. With Deva Bratt also raising questions about Kartel's rights to the Portmore Empire name, the Empire appeared to be crumbling.

Just when it appeared all downhill for the Empire, Kartel found a new recruit to bolster the Empire's depleted ranks in what had been its weakest area since Dennis' passing. In an effort to combat some of the negative publicity surrounding the Empire, Father Romie asked the remaining members of the Empire to deliver some positive messages on the Ghetto Gospel project. The result was Born and Raised (Vybz Kartel featuring Stripes) and Stroll (Jahvinci, Black Ryno, and Vybz Kartel), which announced the arrival of Kartel's new singjay recruit: Jahvinci. With Jahvinci's unrefined but soulful vocals on the hook, Stroll struck a resonating chord, as it looked at the dilemma facing youths in the ghetto when from their vantage point they see only two options: crime or poverty. Stroll also confirmed that the next phase in the Empire's evolution would be led by the trio of Kartel, Ryno, and Jahvinci.

Addi and the Empire may not find favor with mainstream audiences, but fans of hardcore dancehall will find this album right up their alley. And, considering that this album represents the first and most likely the last opportunity to acquire an album from the original members of the Portmore Empire, it may give you a chance to own a piece of dancehall history. If just for its place as a collectors item, Addi and the Empire is worth adding to your collection.