Timoy Jones, more popularly known as dancehall artiste Teejay, has joined the growing chorus of local entertainers advocating for a unified dancehall community.Â
Armed with a pair of newly minted publishing and recording deals courtesy of Warner Music Group, Teejay recently used an Instagram Live session to urge his contemporaries to improve and bring an end to the infighting within the industry. He referred to the dancehall community as “one big dutty place” and underscored the importance of unity for success.
“Unity we stand divided we fall bro__ the artiste dem fi unite outta Jamaica…. Mek mi tell unuh di truth dancehall a one big dutty place,” – he declared.
Teejay revealed that he only became aware of the negative practices within dancehall after leaving his hometown of Montego Bay and coming to Kingston. He shared how people in the industry undermined his career, engaging in gossip and hindered his progress.Â
“When he started come ah Kingston, mi get corrupt, most a di man dem yuh see a come pon TV and a come pon dis, di man dem heart nuh clean bro__ Di man dem nuh wah nubaddy rise.” he added.
Despite the challenges, Teejay credits hard work and determination for enabling him to overcome these obstacles.
Expressing his vision for the future, the “Drift” hitmaker stated his desire to see a dancehall tour featuring the new generation of talents representing Jamaica and spreading the culture worldwide. He stressed that “no artist no bigger than a next artiste” in the grand scheme of things: Cherrypicking Chronic Law, Valiant, and Skillibeng as his preferred choices to kickstart this movement.
Teejay’s plea for unity comes days after vocalists Aidonia, Bugle, and Demarco also called for solidarity among their peers and an end to bloodshed in the streets of Jamaica. These collective appeals from prominent figures within the dancehall industry underscore the importance of collaboration and support within the local entertainment scene if we intend to rise a genre and nation.
