Byron Messia’s meteoric rise to stardom continues as the Jamaican-born, St Kitts-based artist track Talibans made it onto the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Having been released six months ago, Talibans continues to garner a following. The song’s following was given further weight with the release of a remix Talibans II alongside African Giant, Burna Boy on the 21st of July 2023.
With questions on whether the song was deemed afrobeats or dancehall, arguments will continue to linger as the pair collaborated adding another dimension. To be fair the song is on the new age dancehall tip characterized by the unique dancehall drums and gritty punchline lyrics. Currently ranked 98th on the Billboard Hot 100, the track is also at No. 32 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (up from No. 36), No. 15 on the Rap Airplay chart (up from No. 16), No. 26 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart (up from No. 29), and No. 31 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart (up from No. 33). In the United Kingdom, Talibans is currently at No. 19 on the UK Singles chart.
With 41 million views on Youtube’s streaming platform, the song’s popularity continues to surpass expectations, and is a strong contender for one of the top dancehall songs of the year. Byron joins a small list of Jamaican artists to make the Hot 100 Charts and follows on from Shenseea who featured with Kanye West on OK Ok part 2 back in 2021.
Now is the time for Byron Messia to shine and long may it continue. He does have other songs which are currently getting attention which include Moca and Smallest Circle. He is no longer a hot prospect for the future and we can all safely say he has risen and is now a dancehall star for sure.
