Frankly speaking, what is dancehall without the beef and diss tracks? There is rivalry and competition but you also need to be wary about the levels the disputes can get to. Last year we saw a heated row between Alkaline and Squash which turned messy as mothers were embroiled in the beef. The heated beef spilled over to fans causing mayhem on the streets and social media. Shenseea and Jada Kingdom continually poke jabs at each other but at least it’s not at death threat levels.
Popcaan seems to be on everyone’s’ radar as he has a problem with Alkaline, Jah Vinci and Jafrass. I would lean to a cultural problem but this negative energy is not unique to dancehall. Case in point, American hip-hop and rap culture. The recent death of rapper Pop Smoke has raised a lot of questions as authorities investigate the case.
A simmering beef making the headlines is between rising star Teejay and Themanhimself Alkaline. The Vendetta Boss took jabs at both Popcaan and Teejay in his latest jam Monopoly. The gist of his attack was on the assumption that the pair were fake bad men. I’m assuming that Alkaline feels he is the real deal?
The root of all these beefs always gets lost in translation after a while and you forget how they really started and wonder whether they are necessary. Teejay has not properly responded yet after the release of his two latest singles Better Them Than Me and Bing Bing. The latter did have a vendetta mask burning in a trash can though in the audio vid. Expect a diss track soon though.
Its probably all just showbiz to keep things fresh and interesting. However, at times you just feel they must just stop being petty and get on with it. Especially when the rhetoric is who is a better deejay. Give Teejay a listen. He is very passionate about his cause which makes for good music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKfcGe8pk1Y[/embed]