Dame Dash has officially released “Cheap Teef”
The co-founder of Roc-A-Fella transformed a month filled with jokes about teeth into a genuine single, with his artist Nicky Licky delivering the majority of the verses.
Dame Dash has officially unveiled “Cheap Teef,” the diss track aimed at Jay-Z and Cam’ron that he previewed in June. The completed version is released under his artist alias Billy Pablo III, featuring his signee Nicky Licky. The record is now available on streaming platforms along with a lyric video, and there was a change in spelling prior to the release. What many outlets reported last month as “Cheap Teeth” is now presented as “Cheap Teef.”
Dame Dash has unveiled a diss track aimed at Jay-Z and Cam’ron titled “Cheap Teef.”
The title is a recycled insult from Dame herself. In a May 27 interview with Jason Lee, Dame took aim at Cam’ron, referring to him as Fredo, casting doubt on his loyalty, and expressing his discontent with Cam’s “cheap teeth” that he described as being excessively large. He remarked that Cam has a style reminiscent of the classic Steve Harvey. Cam’ron, the host of It Is What It Is, had been targeting Dame for weeks regarding the 2024 Instagram Live incident where Dame’s teeth fell out on camera. Dame’s response was to carve out his own path, create a song centered on it, and direct it back at the men who spread the dental jokes.
Jay-Z is the other target, and he is the reason “Cheap Teef” came into existence. During the 2026 Roots Picnic, Jay delivered an a cappella freestyle that many interpreted as directed at Dame, referring to him as a “chatty patty down on his luck again” and including a dig about someone’s teeth falling out. Dame responded in interviews by stating that he believed the rap was poor, and then he remarked that Jay had bad breath during the early Roc-A-Fella days, describing it as cinnamon doo doo. That phrase, originating from an Art of Dialogue interview, has now become the hook of a commercially released song.
The structure of “Cheap Teef” is noteworthy as the credits do not entirely align with the delivery. Nicky Licky takes charge of the rapping duties. She begins with a line addressing elder abuse directed at Jay, then shifts her focus to Cam’ron with a remark about the disrespect shown to an OG who has supported both of them. She also targets Jason Lee, using his name as the punchline to a homophobic jab regarding their ongoing fixation on their former label head. Dame performs the hook and the ad libs, primarily focusing on breath, and he does so with clear enjoyment. The beat is intentionally simple. Nothing about the record aims to resemble a technical exercise.
The preview on June 16 established the atmosphere. Dame filmed it in the back of a Sprinter van with Nicky Licky beside him, captioning it as a sneak peek that felt overly simple and straightforward. The response was not what he intended. Cam’ron immediately took to the comments to express his feelings of “secondhand embarrassment,” describing the situation as sad and humorously suggesting that someone should conduct a case study on what transpired with Dame. Cam and Mase then dedicated a segment of It Is What It Is to laughing as they went through the bars line by line. Affion Crockett created a parody response to Jay-Z. The clip circulated largely as a joke, and Dame’s release of “Cheap Teef” signifies his decision to revisit the topic regardless.
That decision aligns with a pattern that often goes unnoticed. Dame has been pursuing an artist path for years. In 2018, he released Culture Vultures in collaboration with Kenyatta Griggs, an album that features interview audio paired with music. In 2019, he led a funk rock band named Billy Pablo and the Black Guns, making their debut at a secret show, which is the origin of the Billy Pablo name. In June 2025, his group The Black Guns released the album 365 in collaboration with Freeway. At that time, Dame expressed that while he typically identifies as a businessman, he desired to embrace his artistic side and pay tribute to authentic rock and roll. “Cheap Teef” remains consistent. It is the same instinct directed towards a target.
Nicky Licky is the element that many people are overlooking. She is Dame’s newest signee, boasting a catalog of singles that spans several years. Dame has openly remarked that she evokes a vibe reminiscent of Aaliyah, a comparison he makes with great consideration due to his background. “Cheap Teef” is her latest release and undoubtedly her most prominent one to date. Whether that visibility translates into anything is a different matter, as the focus surrounding the song is directed towards Dame, rather than her.
The backdrop is a partnership that has been inactive for two decades yet continues to make headlines. Dame co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records with Jay-Z and Kareem “Biggs” Burke in the mid-90s, developed Rocawear in tandem, and witnessed the entire venture unravel due to disputes over control, finances, and vision before the remaining stake was acquired by Def Jam in 2004. Jay-Z emerged as one of the richest artists in the world. Cam’ron, who emerged under the Roc-A-Fella umbrella, transformed his second act as a podcast host into a more substantial platform than many of his rap contemporaries have achieved. Dame is set to release “Cheap Teef.”
What follows largely depends on two men who have demonstrated little urgency in their response. Jay-Z has only referenced Dame indirectly, with the exception of a freestyle line. Cam’ron has already shared his thoughts in an Instagram comment and has since moved on. “Cheap Teef” garnered attention in June and is now experiencing a resurgence, with the conflict it is associated with being managed solely by Dame.
