Byron Messia’s Talibans becomes the first Trap-Dancehall song to be certified Platinum in the UK.
According to the British Phonographic Industry the song has surpassed sales and streaming equivalent units of 400,000 as of April 4, 2024 as measured by the Official Charts Company.
The breakout hit which peaked at No. 12 on the Official U.K. Charts., was released on January 20, 2023, became a global dancehall sensation, earning Gold certification in Canada (40,000 units), selling over 500,000 units in the U.S. The remix with Burna Boy titled Talibans 2, released on July 20, helped propel the track onto the U.S. Hot 100 at No. 99 for one week.
Messia is the first artist from St. Kitts to earn a Platinum certification in the U.K.
Despite the song’s success, both versions of the Talibans music videos were briefly removed from YouTube following copyright strikes related to alleged infringement of a track called Big Guns. The track now has 92 million streams on YouTube, the most for any trap-dancehall track and the remix has surpassed 62 million.
Trap Dancehall is a fusion genre that blends the gritty, bass-heavy elements of trap music (originating from the Southern U.S.) with the rhythms, vocal styling, and culture of dancehall (which hails from Jamaica).
Key characteristics of the sub-genre include uses of 808 drums, hi-hats, and dark, minimal melodies typical of trap music.
Artists may switch between singing and rapping, often using auto-tune with topics can include street life, hustling, money, sex, and loyalty—mirroring both trap and hardcore dancehall themes.
This is only the second Trap Dancehall song to chart on the Hot 100, following Skillibeng and Nicki Minaj’s Crocodile Teeth Remix in 2021.
Talibans is the lead single from Messia’s album No Love(2023), the top-selling dancehall album in the U.S. over the past two years, which placed No. 10 on Billboard’s Year-End Reggae Albums Chart. Messia was ranked No. 7 on the 2024 Billboard Reggae Albums Artists Chart, and his label, Ztekk Records, holds the No. 5 spot among Reggae Albums Labels.
Back on the this week’s BritCertified tracks list: Tyla’s Push 2 Start picked up a Silver certification (200,000 units) and Sean Paul’s “Gety Busy” (VP/Atlantic) is now certified 2x platinum for sales and streams surpassing 1,200,000 units.
