TeeJay Says Vybz Kartel Inspired Flow On Valiant Diss Track

Dancehall deejays TeeJay and Valiant have exchanged fiery jabs in a pair of diss tracks on Black Chiney’s 2007 Drumline riddim, which, according to TeeJay, was no coincidence at all. In fact, he admitted that he was influenced by incarcerated entertainer Vybz Kartel, who has his own track on the popular riddim.

“Honestly, going to school, the way how Vybz Kartel deal wid dat riddim was just the only thing in my brain at the time,” he told DancehallMag on Friday evening, hours after he lyrically hurled  Chapter 1 at Valiant.

“Growing up, grade 7 time— how Vybz Kartel deal wid dat Drumline Riddim? Trust’ mi! I had to do something crazy just like that. He influenced it.”

TeeJay racked up over 370,000 views in one day for Chapter 1. Valiant, on the other hand, who responded with Timoya (a play on TeeJay’s real name—Timoy) yesterday, has so far racked up over 200,00 views.

TeeJay noted that he went into the recording booth and freestyled his piece. He further said that while he looks up to the ‘Teacha,’ there are several other Dancehall stalwarts he respects.

“I’m gonna be honest with you, I look up to Vybz Kartel, Mavado, Aidonia… I look up to all the leaders of Dancehall who started this thing… I love Dancehall music, so, I have to show credit and give respect where it is due,” the St. James native said.

Upon its release, Drumline had also featured Mavado, Agent Sasco, Elephant Man, Busy Signal, Aidonia, Hollow Point, Lindo P, Mr. Vegas, Munga Honorable, T.O.K., Voicemail, and Ward 21.

Meanwhile, at the time of the interview, the ‘Uptop Boss’ was contemplating responding to Valiant. However, he said that the clash was mere entertainment for him and Dancehall fans. Should matters escalate, the deejay said he will throw in the towel.

“This is Dancehall music, and once it is [a] lyrical battle, I am down for it,” he told DancehallMag. “Nothing violent; nothing out of the studio, nothing outrageous… just music and if it seems like it’s getting too far, I will definitely wrap this up because you know we have to get back to the money at times— that’s the bigger picture. If the fans like it, for now, we have to just entertain people but nothing serious, I swear to you. I don’t know about the next side, but on my side I am positively sure that it is just music.”

A particular line in Valiant’s track where he claimed to be richer than his rival did however cause TeeJay to take to the net to remind the world that he bought a home just last October. 

This clash comes just two weeks ahead of the release of TeeJay’s debut EP I Am Chippy that was executively produced by Grammy Award winning artist, Shaggy. The entertainer says he expects the sale of 50,000 copies in the first week. On that note, he is encouraging supporters to purchase the project to show their solidarity for the project.

“I would love to tell everyone to go and pre-order the EP. Jamaican music is not dead. The music is just evolving and people need to evolve with it more… subscribe to these digital displays ‘cause music isn’t selling analog again; it’s digital streams now. It just J$600 for the EP,” TeeJay reasoned.

“We need the people to support it and understand that music is changing— it’s evolving, [so] just grow with it,” he added.

The EP features collaborations with Davido, Tommy Lee Sparta, Skillibeng, Bayka, Malie Donn, Jaydon, and Quada. The EP includes Teejay’s 2023 hit Drift as a bonus track, and its remix with Davido, which has been praised for bridging musical styles across the Atlantic.

Teejay had signed with Warner Records in a record and publishing deal announced in June 2023.