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Teejay, one of Jamaica’s most versatile dancehall artists hailing from Montego Bay, continues to make an indelible impact across the globe with “Drift,” one of the genre’s top-performing and standout songs of 2023. Today, the Up-Top Boss unleashed two genre-spanning remixes now available everywhere as the Drift Pack. Get it HERE via Warner Records.

Moroccan-born, Bronx-bred, Grammy-winning rapper French Montana blesses the track with a fresh, flavorful verse. In an accompanying video (directed by Jedi Productions and shot in NYC), the two artists run the streets of Times Square in Manhattan and French’s stomping grounds of Mott Haven in the Bronx.

This release follows a week after multi-Grammy-nominated Afrobeats icon Davido featured on Teejay’s explosive dance-inspired anthem.

The latter remix will be featured on Teejay’s forthcoming debut EP I Am Chippy, slated for release in early 2024 and executive produced by diamond-selling artist Shaggy.

Teejay’s summer breakout single “Drift” continues to go the distance with more than 60 million global streams, in addition to over 15 million YouTube views on the official music video. The contagious hook and choreography are storming through nightclubs across the globe, climbing the U.S. Billboard charts (R&B/Hip Hop Airplay, Rhythmic Top 40 Airplay, and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay), and amassing over a quarter of a billion TikTok views for its viral dance.

Teejay has been a mainstay in Jamaican dancehall for almost a decade, known for his impeccable vocal range and lyrical dexterity. He has made an impact on the island’s vibrant musical genre and pumped out hundreds of anthems – “People” (2022), “Bitcoin” (2021), “Unfaithful Games” (2020), “Rags To Riches” (2020), “Moonlight” (2020), “Stimulate (Push It Een)” (2020), and “Up Top Boss” (2018). He has earned the respect of his fans and dancehall stars like Mavado, who worked with him in the infancy of his career, to Vybz Kartel, who has guest-featured on Teejay’s tracks like “Up Top Gaza” & “Pressure”, to Grammy-winning Jamaican superstar Shaggy, who is the executive producer of his forthcoming debut EP I Am Chippy. Earlier this year, he made his television debut on BET by teaming up with Shaggy for a performance of “Gyal Dem Time.” Watch HERE.

Everyone from Cardi B and Offset to Burna Boy has been seen dancing to his explosive viral TikTok hit “Drift”. In September, it was the #1 Most Shazamed Song in NYC, and DJ Funkmaster Flex summoned Teejay to the Madison Square Garden’s stage to perform his anthem in front of a sold-out 20,000+ crowd for Hot 97. He also lit up Afrotech in Austin, TX, showing the Lone Star State how dancehall is done!

Teejay will continue to tour until the end of the year. Last Saturday (Dec 16), he joined Lil Wayne and Friends Performance at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD. On Dec 23, he will perform in Miami at Mana Wynwood, and then will head back up the East coast on Dec 30 for Hot 97’s Winter Jam Performance at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. He also makes stops in The Caribbean throughout the month with shows at Sandals Grande St. Lucian on Dec 19 in St. Lucia and at Glamour The Ultimate New Year’s Eve Gala on Dec 31 in Negril, JA.

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From Glendevon, Montego Bay, to stages all over the world, Teejay’s fresh, melodic-driven edge is defining a new chapter in his career. Born into a family with three older brothers, the artist was constantly surrounded by music. With little resources, he found salvation in music. By nine years old, he released his first song “I Know” on Don Corleone’s 2005 Seasons Riddim written by his siblings Tippa and Ice. The song received heavy rotation on Jamaica’s IRIE FM radio station. This was just the beginning of his drift to success. He landed a coveted spot on Jamaica’s largest annual music festival Reggae Sumfest in 2015, catapulting his name from his hometown to the entire nation. As he continued to record on riddims with a slew of singles taking over the streets, he developed a cult following. 2023 became the year Teejay would finally hit his much-anticipated milestones. He linked up with Grammy-award-winning and diamond-selling artist Shaggy on the instant hit “De Gyal Dem Time.” A few months later Teejay’s “Drift” took the world by storm. A departure from his lyrically-laden singles, the infectious record accompanied by a dance created by Gabi Don dominated TikTok and became a vehicle for the artist to start charting. Additionally, the artist became the most recent dancehall artist to sign to a major label where he found a home at Warner Records. His 2024 EP I Am Chippy will be an inspirational tale of his journey thus far.

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Spice, one of the best-known dancehall artists in the world, was chosen as the 2023’s Jamaican Artiste of the Year in the Best of Jamaica survey conducted by Jamaicans.com. Recognized as the “Queen of Dancehall,” Spice is famous for her versatility and aggressive, outspoken lyrics.

Spice’s Beginnings

Grace Latoya Hamilton, known professionally as Spice, was born in 1982 in Spanish Town, St Catherine, Jamaica. She grew up in Portmore. During her childhood, she regularly attended church and led the choir. Her father died when she was nine years old, and she spent time with her grandparents in London. She also attended school there before returning to Jamaica and becoming a student at St Catherine High School. She was a frequent participant in the music category of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission’s festival and won several medals. While she had planned to become a chartered accountant, she decided to pursue a music career instead and enrolled at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts as a music and drama student. Her experimentations with dancehall music prompted interest in her community and she deejayed at local stage events.

Career Highlights

Spice first came to public attention in 2000 at the dancehall festival, Sting, and released “Complain,” her first single, under the Madhouse Records label in 2003. Her first major success was the single, “Romping Shop” with Vybz Kartel in 2009. She then signed on with VP Records, and at the 2016 MOBO Awards, she became the first female dancehall artist to receive a nomination for Best Reggae Act and the only woman to be nominated in the category at all. Spice had her first major success with the controversial single “Romping Shop” with Vybz Kartel in 2009.

Spice achieved international recognition as a regular cast member on the reality TV series, “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” on VH1. Her first project as a producer was the Gal Click riddim in 2013, which featured several other female dancehall artists. The video for “So Mi Like It” became the most viewed music video by a female Jamaican artist on YouTube with 114 million views to date. She starred in the feature film, “Destiny,” in 2014 and also released her debut EP. In 2018, she released her first mixtape, “Captured” under her independent label, Spice Official Entertainment. Her appearance as a headliner at the 2022 Pride Toronto Festival caused some controversy as other dancehall artists denounced her for engaging with the LBGTQ community. Her appearance on “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” caused a stir in Season 11 in 2023, when she commented on the parenting skills of co-star Erica Mena that caused Mena to flip over a table and attack Spice, an action which led to Mena’s firing from the show. After the show’s finale, a special episode was aired to discuss racism, colorism, prejudice, and the impacts of these issues on the show’s stars and the Black community overall.

Businesswoman and Philanthropist

Spice launched the boutique clothing chain, Spicey Couture, in Jamaica in 2009, and in 2010, opened the Spicey Salon, a beauty salon in Kingston. She opened a sports bar and lounge, “8 Ball,” in Portmore the same year. Her online beauty store, “Faces & Laces,” launched in 2019, and in 2020, she introduced a clothing line, Graci Noir. In addition to her business ventures, Spice actively sponsors philanthropic causes. In 2016, she established a back-to-school sponsorship competition on Instagram in which she asked fans to remix one of her songs in an educational way. The prize was a fully paid scholarship that covered tuition, books, uniforms, and school supplies. In 2018, she founded the Grace Hamilton Women Empowerment Foundation to provide enrichment for women through education, business, and entrepreneurship. In 2019, she was the host of a back-to-school giveaway program in Kingston through her foundation, which provided school supplies to over 500 children.

Photo – Facebook

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