Teejay Slams Producer DJ Mac Over Ownership Of Hit Song ‘Drift’
Drama is brewing around Teejay’s summer anthem, Drift.
Though Jason ‘DJ Mac‘ McDowell is credited as the producer for the infectious track, the ‘Uptop Boss’ says the actual instrumentalist and producer is his Solid Agency mate, Panda. With the record attracting more opportunities for Teejay, including publishing and recording deals with Warner Music, the singjay claims DJ Mac is trying to swoop down on production credits to capitalise off the song.
“A Panda song, yuh cannot get the song,” Teejay said during an Instagram Live on Monday. “You do not produce the song. Yuh nuh build the rhythm. Yuh nuh have a contract between you and Panda… Lowe the song mek the song strive.”
DJ Mac did not respond to DancehallMag‘s requests for comment up to time of publishing.
Sharing the story behind the creation of Drift, Teejay said Panda sent him the riddim, titled Banga Rock, on March 5.
“Panda link mi seh him waan be a producer but it a go tek a lot for him, so, mi seh, ‘Panda, no problem’.”
Panda is no newcomer to music, but worked as a ghost instrumentalist on songs like Skeng’s Eediatt, Spice’s Bake a Man and Vybz Kartel’s Tight Forever.
Teejay recorded Drift in Miami, Florida, then sought to find the right producer to use as the face of the record. Consulting with selector Boom Boom, he was advised to self-produce Drift. Yet, he decided, “seh a Panda song but mi ‘go put Mac pon it same way.”
The alleged arrangement is now creating conflict surrounding copyright authorship and royalties.
“Yah go have your people dem now a reach out to Warner Music a tell Warner Music how a your song bro,” Teejay said on IG Live. “Yuh never build the rhythm bro, a Panda build the rhythm bro… And if a yuh likkle people weh yuh sign to nowadays bro, mi never even want it reach yah so fi feel seh a people a program yuh or dem thing deh but bro, you and Panda never have no agreement to the song…”
He later added, “If yuh feel like seh a money we get offa the song, nobody nuh get no money offa the song… If me call yuh phone and put yuh pon my song, why yuh feel mi woulda get money and nuh give you money?”
Teejay went on to label DJ Mac “corrupt” and “badmind”, adding that he should have stayed in his drama-free lane instead of including him.
“All a text mi phone a tell mi bout ‘memba who yuh get strength from’… Yuh never buss Teejay. Mi have Rags to Riches, mi have Owna Lane, how much song before yuh… Yuh too badmind. Yuh too corrupt youth and yaa vampire.”
“Yuh dweet to the next youth weh produce Speed Off..ya too f–k up, bro,” he added. “Oonu a vampire inna Dancehall…when yu si the youth them ah rise ‘low the youth, DJ Mac.”
Drift is nearing 1.5 million streams on Spotify and is getting significant airplay on radio in the US. The music video has attracted 5.3 million views.
The Banga Rock riddim also features Badness Upgrade by Chronic Law, Flames Rock by Kaka Highflames, and Tan Suh by Dystans.
23-year-old DJ Mac is also credited for producing several other hit songs over the last two years, including Valiant‘s Speed Off, Jahshii‘s Born Fighter and 25/8, Rytikal’s Chosen, Squash’s Rate Who Rate You, and Chronic Law’s Still A Bleed.