Producer Patrick "Roach" Samuels evidently felt targeted by Busy Signal's track Artiste.
In this song, Busy Signal pokes fun at all the people who want to become artists: "Selectors are becoming artists, producers are becoming artists, engineers are becoming artists". Among his tirades: "The lizard wants to be an artist, the roach (cockroach, ed.), the ants want to be artists". It is that line that made Patrick Samuels react, producer of the Overproof riddim among others and former manager of Vybz Kartel, who went into singing in 2006.
"I feel Busy is talking about me, explains Roach, a touch paranoid, in the columns of the Star, but Busy was a selector and a driver before becoming an artist himself. Nobody knows any ants or lizards in music, but everybody knows Roach. So he is talking about me, and he is trying to create a diversion by talking about lizards and ants."
"The concept of the song is very poor and makes no sense, adds the producer: if he had said 'everybody wants to be an athlete', that would be different, because that is a rare talent, but Jamaica is a country of deejays and singers." When can we expect reactions from Clive Hunt (nicknamed "Lizard"), Daddy Lizard, Daddy Ants, Colin Roach, etc.?