Before he left Jamaica, Buddy had promised a young musician named Noel Davey that he would buy a synthesizer while in the United States and bring it back to him.

One day Davey accidentally triggered the "rock" bassline preset, which he heard for a few seconds before the keyboard setting was changed and the rhythm ceased playing.

Davey and Wayne Smith arranged the first version of the Sleng Teng riddim, which was considerably faster than the final release.

Davey and Smith brought the riddim and toast to noted producer and dub mixer King Jammy in December of 1984.

[5][6] While Jammy recalled knowing immediately that he had helped create something special once he listened to the final mix, he also said he was still completely unprepared for the response to Sleng Teng's first public performance.

[16] This was later speculated to be the intro to David Bowie's "Hang On to Yourself", the 8th track on his 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

It wasn’t based on any other tune.”[18] According to Okuda, there was some talk at the Casio corporation of attempting to defend their intellectual property from its free use in "Under Me Sleng Teng" with lawsuits.

Toshio Kashio in particular felt strongly that the company's mission ought to be “bringing the pleasure of playing a musical instrument to everyone.”[12][19] Despite the minuscule size and fiscal importance of the Musical Instrument division compared with the company's calculator division, then its main breadwinner, Toshio Kashio's defence of free use set a decisive corporate precedent.

[21] Scholars Peter Manuel and Wayne Marshall argue that Sleng Teng "was seminal in various ways ... [it] further consolidated the trend toward the new production of riddims based on short ostinatos, rather than reliance on vintage B-side tracks, with their occasionally problematic chord progressions."

[23] The riddim was updated by Jammy in 2005 (slightly speeded up, with added horn riff) and this variation is known as "Sleng Teng Resurrection".

The "Sleng Teng" rhythm has enjoyed significant and enduring influence on the British Ragga, Jungle Music and drum and bass scenes.

[25] American electronic duo Discovery uses a similar musical style in "Slang Tang" from their album LP in a nod to Sleng Teng.

[27] Wayne Smith's "Under Mi Sleng Teng" has also been used in the promotional trailer on British TV Channel 4 show This Is England '86.

Swedish electronic artist Robyn references "Sleng Teng" in the track "Dancehall Queen" on her album Body Talk.