“I Never Exposed Beenie Man As A Sell Out,” Teetimus Says
Dancehall musician Teetimus has come out to clarify statements he made on his Instagram Live last week, noting that his comments were taken out of context.
Teetimus said he was sharing with fans some of the frustrations he had been experiencing as he tried to get samples for two of veteran dancehall artiste Beenie Man’s tunes, which he revealed the artiste did not own.
The up and coming dancehall act recently shot a music video for a single he recorded with Beenie Man, noting that the project had been delayed by the labels who own the rights to the songs.
The artiste revealed that the tracks, Old Dog and Sim Simma , were featured on his song to give the international audience a throwback vibe.
“My management team, Trill City Global, has had issues getting the greenlight from the labels after weeks of communication. It’s frustrating me because the owners of Dancehall music have sold rights to these songs to labels, and so artistes aren’t in control over their own music” Teetimus told DancehallMag.
“I never exposed Beenie Man as a sell out to the white man, these gossip sites just like to sensationalize things for views. I have the utmost respect for Beenie from days when I was a musician,” he added.
Teetimus further shared that it was sad that artistes from the ’90s don’t have much say in what happens with their material because they don’t own any percentage of the mastered files of the songs, noting that he doesn’t blame Beenie Man for the delays he has been facing.
He is also urging young artistes to take stock of their material and ensure that publishing includes ownership as well.
“The future of Dancehall and your legacy as an artiste is dependent on how you handle the business side of the music,” he added.
Teetimus is gearing up to release a Full EP entitled Bad Radio, including the first single with Beenie Man entitled Gyallis Routing.