Teejay Talks Working With Timbaland, Collabs With Kodak Black, The Game On New Album
Dancehall’s Uptop Boss Teejay shared some of the major moves he’s made this year in his first interview under new management.
He was a recent guest on the web series, The Fix, where he spoke on his projects since leaving the Romeich Ent Camp, which included readying his debut album, Rags to Riches. Teejay also touched on his Billboard and Grammy aspirations, as well as his rebirth as an entertainer.
A clip making the rounds in May showed Teejay playing a few of his tracks for legendary American producer, Timbaland. Speaking with The Fix hosts, Teejay explained his “reincarnation”, a complete mental and physical switch up that resulted in new management under Sharon Burke’s Solid Agency. This renewed focus was a game-changer for the Owna Lane deejay who divulged a few of his feats over the past six months.
Teejay has teamed up with many of dancehall’s finest like Vybz Kartel (UpTop Gaza, Pressure, Big Bizniz) and Shenseea (Car Seat), and he seems keen to keep creating music with the best. He name-dropped a few key players in the rap industry while speaking on his projects since signing to Solid. “We even have some good collab right now, mi shouldn’t even say it but we have all song wid Kodak Black, The Game, we have whole heap a bad song fi release right now,” Teejay said.
Teejay explained to the hosts that the highlight of his time away was meeting and impressing beat-making legend, Timbaland, who invited Sharon Burke and her “new artist” for a studio session.
“It was a pleasure to be there,” Teejay began. “Honestly mi mek him listen di album an him tell mi di biggest song pon di album. Him tell mi seh every song tek five year fi really reach weh it supposed to reach so you cyaan jus a dweet fi Jamaica. Yuh haffi think about the billions of people out there in the world just like OMI wid Cheerleader.”
The Day One deejay said after taking the Verzuz creator’s advice, he was pleased with the finished product. “So him listen di album, gimme likkle advice and we jus go back to the drawing board, do wah we haffi do and him really love it. From Timbaland seh mi album bad enuh, di album bad. Remember we di best and we nuh need Khaled fi tell we dat,” Teejay joked.
Timbaland’s advice on the longevity of songs influenced Teejay to use his previously released and best performing single, Rags To Riches, as the album title. The music video and lyric track for Rags To Riches have 36M views combined, and Teejay told the hosts he felt the song had further to go.
“Mi nuh feel like dah song deh done yet, mi still ah work it, that’s why mi decide fi name di album Rags to Riches, fi mek people see seh yow mi believe inna suppm, mi believe inna wah me ah do,” Teejay said.
When asked what he hoped the album would achieve, Teejay said while he didn’t have any expectations, the overall aim of his dancehall career was to be among the greats of the genre.
“Mi know mi waan put two ah dem song yah pon Billboard, mi waan see two ah dem big plaque deh pon mi wall Timoy Janeyo Jones, mi waan see two ah dem ting deh,” Teejay said
Press play on the interview below.