Teejay Says Dealing With Death And Depression Led To His “Rebirth” As An Artist 

Dancehall artist Teejay says his trim look and renewed focus came as a result of a stress-induced low point in his personal life.

The Uptop Boss recently appeared on The Fix where he updated his fans on his last few months overseas. Teejay linked up with titans like Timbaland and The Game while he was away, but he chose to start the interview on a more somber note. Responding to the hosts’ remarks about his slim physique, Teejay revealed that a series of stressful events is what caused him to lose “whole heap ah pounds” amid rumors of a Romeich Entertainment rift. 

“Nuff stress. Wicked stress,” Teejay began. “Memba a three friend mi lose inna one day enuh. After that, it feel a way fi know seh we nuh even know wah we friend dem dead for or nothing like that. So we did all feel paranoid enuh, feel like people ah watch we,” he said.

TeeJay’s close friends ‘Grimmy’, who was considered his right-hand man, ‘Afro Man’ and another unidentified individual were shot and killed in St. Andrew, Jamaica on June 4.

Teejay explained that he was shocked at the circumstances as he and his friends hail from a different parish altogether. Though he often chronicles his rocky St. James story in his music, the deaths were “hard to swallow”, and it made him consider leaving the business at one point.

 “Ah whole heap ah war we ah fight fi reach right yasso,” he stated. “So when we reach right yasso and see some things weh we ah run from reach we, it kinda mek we a pree a way. Like you jus waan leave this thing alone,” Teejay said. 

The sad events combined with his diet and schedule were negatively contributing to his weight and mental state. “Mi jus ah sing, smoke, eat, drink and jus nah eat nuh food,” he admitted.

The Day One deejay added that he also became weight conscious during Reggae Sumfest’s virtual show in 2020 where his lively 20-minute set left him feeling completely drained.

“So everything go happen and mi jus decide seh yow, mi go jus change the look, change the image, change everything. Mi jus tell miself seh mi ah one new artist and me waan buss again.”  

He calls the renewed focus a “rebirth” or “reincarnation” that allowed him to “approach the streets and the business differently”.

He decided to ‘cool off and clear his head’ in America, which sent social media into speculation about beef between him and his then manager, Romeich Major.

Though Major’s name didn’t come up during the interview, Teejay acknowledged that the “rebirth” is what caused him to seek new management. He said of the new arrangements that “the future looks bright”, and that he decided to fall back for a greater comeback. 

“Well yuh done know as dem seh, God nuh build Rome inna one day, yuh know, some things take time,” Remember nobody cyaan stop Teejay right now. only Teejay can stop himself. As much as me deh yah ah talk bout reincarnate, wah nuh dead nuh call it duppy. And ah nuh like it did dead, yuh zimmi. We did jus ease back a little,” he stated.

Teejay, whose real name is Timoy Jones, is set to release his debut album Rags To Riches, later this year.