Like It or Not, Valiant Is Leading Dancehall Into the Future

Since going viral over his "Kotch e hat a lie" TikTok last year, Valiant has morphed into one of dancehall’s most prominent artists. His melodic cadence and hip-hop-infused beats embody the growing popularity of the trap-dancehall subgenre that’s emerged out of Jamaica in the last decade.

Billed as the headliner for tonight's Tipsy Music Festival, Valiant is set to make his U.S. performance debut during Miami Carnival weekend at Virginia Key Beach Park. He’ll share the stage with soca luminaries Machel Montano, Bunji Garlin, and Skinny Fabulous, along with Haitian konpa artist Kai. The Caribbean fusion displayed on Tipsy’s stage merges cultural vanguards like Montano with a new iteration of dancehall stars like Valiant.

Tipsy cofounder Zamani Moodie says Valiant’s performance represents the fusion of music and culture curated at the festival. “Ever since the start of Twisted Entertainment and Tipsy 11 years ago, what we’ve tried to do is be as inclusive as possible in the Carnival experience,” says Moodie, who’s also from Jamaica. “Carnival represents Caribbean pride and unity, something we take for granted. No matter what race, what genre, it’s just inclusive. Carnival is everybody and everything.”

The all-encompassing festival also underpins Valiant’s meteoric ascendence in dancehall.

In the fickle era of TikTok fame, where viral artists pop up as fast as another one slides back into obscurity, Valiant has kept the momentum he built last year going. Since posting that viral TikTok last September — which currently sits at more than 700,000 views — he released a string of back-to-back singles, amassing millions of views on YouTube. The video for “North Carolina,” a hit anthem detailing the vices of a scammer’s lifestyle, racked up 22 million views, while videos for “Dunce Cheque” and “St. Mary” sit at more than one million and 20 million views, respectively. In January, he was the most streamed artist on YouTube in Jamaica, with nine songs perched in the top ten slots, and British Vogue proclaimed him as one of "The 9 Musicians Set to Take Over in 2023."

Releasing his debut mixtape, 4:14, in July, Valiant credits his relentless work ethic for consistently growing his fanbase.

“A lot of work; sleepless nights. We’re working like we just started,” Valiant tells New Times. “Mi hungry same. I’m really grateful about the fanbase I’ve gained and the love that I’ve gained. Coming from 'Kotch e hat' leading up to 'Dunce Cheque,' it’s been a great experience. It’s been a blessing."
His success didn't occur overnight. He started as part of Popcaan's Unruly Camp but parted ways two years ago, teaming up with Diplomats to focus on his solo career. His big break last year was a combination of serendipity, strategy, and simply timing.

“People think I started recording after 'Kotch e hat,' but I had these songs recorded before,” he says. “They were planned out already. The only song that was new was 'North Carolina' because people were telling me to make a 'Kotch e hat' song, and I said, 'No.' People want to feel good about making money, so I built a song called 'North Carolina.'"

A menacing trap-dancehall track, "North Carolina” embodies the dancehall subgenre that originated in Montego Bay. Dancehall artists like Rygin King, Squash, Tommy Lee Sparta, Skeng, Skillibeng, Kraff, Bayka, Masicka, and Byron Messia are shapeshifting the toasting and riddims style native to the genre. Whereas the “toasting” culture of dancehall influenced the early days of hip-hop in the late '70s, a crop of artists in Jamaica are stitching hip-hop into their music. Elements of Southern trap and East Coast and UK drill punctuate the beats and lyricism.

Like any subculture, trap-dancehall is a more rugged offshoot representing a generation of artists influenced by a cacophony of genres and the "choppa" lifestyle. Lyrics about lottery scamming, a widespread crime on the island, especially Montego Bay, reference the 2010s era dominated by Vybz Kartel and Mavado while the trap-tinged beats mirror the sound of Atlanta rappers like Lil Baby and Gunna. Although the sound is starting to create buzz for fledgling Jamaican artists Like Byron Messia, whose hit remix “Talibans II,” featuring Burna Boy, landed on the Billboard Hot 100, Jamaican regulators are cracking down on the music they deem violent and criminal. Last October, Jamaica’s broadcasting regulator implemented a ban on music and TV that glorifies crime and violence from being broadcasted on public airwaves in an effort to curb rising crime rates on the island.

Despite the public criticism, Valiant says the new wave of dancehall is pushing boundaries in its sound and content.

“I think the new dancehall is perfect. Young youths are mastering their craft and seeing that instead of doing violence, we can do music,” he adds. “I don’t think this new dancehall is singing a lot about gun violence. It’s basically about making money and how to take care of your family, all our team, and for people around us to live good. We try to make the thing bigger than before, and it not easy when you try to unite."
Influenced by dancehall’s most prolific acts like Shabba Ranks, Sean Paul, Shaggy, and Yellowman, Valiant aims to cross over into the UK and U.S. markets like his predecessors and expand his sound on a global scale.

“I’m trying to see what I need to do to capture that fan base in America and what I should not do so people in America can accept my sound,” he says. “It’s just more work because we see where the Caribbean love Diplomats and Valiant already, so I’m trying to see what I can do to bring in more fanbase in America and the UK."

Regarding future collaborations, Valiant would like to team up with rappers like Drake, Lil Baby, and Rod Wave. He also hinted at potentially releasing a debut EP in 2024, but for now, Valiant plans to continue experimenting and expanding his style to represent the shift in dancehall.

“Music that we’re doing, we’re trying new stuff. We’re trying new songs,” he says. “The new generation is trying to formulate the rap in dancehall. The things that dancehall was afraid of doing, the new generation is doing that right now. Like in Jamaica, you normally call someone a ‘dunce head,’ but in the music, we’re using it as a terminology like 'dunce' that means something dope."

Tonight, fans can expect Valiant to perform his most viral hits on the Tipsy stage, and he promises to close out the night with an energetic set.

“It’s just me and my DJ. We put some work together, and we just give Miami ‘Mad Out’ settings,” he reassures with a laugh.

Tipsy Music Festival. 3 to 11 p.m. Friday, October 6, at Virginia Key Beach Park, 420 Virginia Beach Dr., Miami; tipsymusicfestival.com. Tickets start at $80 to $160 via ticketlinkz.com.