Top 23 songs for 2023: Song of the Year ‘Drift’

Up-and-coming artistes and newly hailed deejay sensations grabbed the spotlight musically in 2023, releasing songs and sounds that somehow stirred the souls of their listeners. But tried-and-proven entertainers also focused on their craft and released songs that delighted.

It was a year in which the singers were not trending locally – and that is not to say that singers did not release good songs, perhaps ‘a juss suh di ting set’.

“Singers didn’t put out any memorable hits in 2023,” Sean ‘Contractor’ Edwards, a member of the selection panel, opined and Boswell 'Stampede' Lammie (of Stampede Street Charts) agreed. However, singjay Gully Gad Mavado would not be left out of the mix, and he delighted fans with the track Pain, featuring Dexta Daps and newcomer Jay-A.

We invite you to relive 2023 musically as you scroll through this list.

23. Lime light –Masicka

22. Shalalala - Skeng

21. Ye Ye Ye Ye – 1Skimask

20 Pain – Mavado, Dexta Daps, Jay-A

19. Time Heals – Vybz Kartel and Valiant

18. St Thomas Native - Popcaan and Chronic Law

17. No Fear – Sean Paul, Damian Marley and Nicky Jam

16. Slow Motion – Cham, Dexta Daps, Bounty Killer

15. Crawses – 450, Shaniel Moore

14. Frsh Drop – Aidonia

13. Paddle Boat – Najeerie

12. Pieces – Masicka and Jahshii

11. Paris – Skeng

10. A Solemn Request – Chronic Law

9. Rich N Richer – Pablo YG

8. Paddle Boat – Najeeriii

7. Wild Out – RajahWild

6. V6 – Mali Don

5. Rum Behavior – Kraff

4. Mad Out – Valiant

3. Talibans – Byron Messia

2. Tyrant – Masicka

1. Drift – Teejay

It would seem that 2023 was indeed the year of Drift. Did somebody say “Raddam!”? Anyway, the Uptop Boss drifted his way into 2023 with a song that made made everyone stop and dance.

“ Drift was the biggest song in Jamaica for the entire year. It had a popular dance accompanying the song and it made its popularity with all age groups. Corporate Jamaica latched on to it, as well as Prime Minister Holness, who used it as his theme song at the annual JLP conference,” stated Edwards.

According to louditup.com Certifiedstreams June 2023 Caribbean Top 200 Report, Teejay managed to rack up an impressive 912,687 verified Spotify streams and [more than] 80,000 Shazams, in just 30 days, outshining industry heavyweights such as Rvssian, Shenseea, Sean Paul, and Popcaan. Coupled with an all-time milestone of over 1.49 million Spotify streams, Teejay’s Drift has rapidly left an indelible mark on the Caribbean music landscape and its diaspora.

Teejay made his name on the entertainment scene in 2018. Hailing from the Second City, Montego Bay, he dominated the party scene that year with songs like Up Top Boss, My Type, Pray and Grimy. In addition to delivering an impressive set at Reggae Sumfest, the DJ also inked a record deal with Romeich Entertainment, with which he later parted ways amicably.

On June 15, 2023, Teejay signed what has been labelled “dancehall’s biggest deal for the year” with American record label Warner Music Group.