Teejay enters the ‘Circle’
High-riding Teejay and Inner Circle have teamed up for a new single, Riches w i a Pree , which is produced by the Grammy-winning band.
The song was recorded in May at Circle House, Inner Circle’s studio in north Miami. Roger Lewis, the band’s rhythm guitarist and co-founder, said they made an instant connection with the deejay, who is also known as the Up Top Boss.
“Is a nice bredrin, him come through an’ was doing some recording an’ wi hold a good vibe. Wi end up doing this song which we think can do well,” Lewis told the Jamaica Observer.
Riches w i a Pree brings together stylistically different acts. Formed in 1968, Inner Circle emerged during the 1970s roots-reggae explosion with lead singer Jacob Miller on songs like Tenement Yard and Standing Firm.
They had a second wind in the early 1990s with the monster hit songs, Sweat and Bad Boys, which earned them a Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album with Bad Boys in 1994.
Teejay is from Glendevon in Montego Bay which has produced some of the biggest dancehall names during the past decade. His hits include From Rags to Riches and Uptop Boss.
This is not the first time Inner Circle have worked with reggae/dancehall’s new wave. They previously did songs with Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid and Khago.
Tenement Yard (Newscarrying Dread), their song with Chronixx, made reggae charts in North America and Europe six years ago.
— Howard Campbell