NEW YORK — Jamaican dancehall artiste Skippa added another major achievement to his rapidly growing career after being recognized as Billboard’s 2026 Caribbean Rising Star during the publication’s R&B/Hip-Hop Power Players festivities in New York City.
The recognition comes as part of Billboard’s annual R&B/Hip-Hop events, which bring together influential artists, executives and emerging talent shaping the genres. This year’s New York programming includes Billboard House on September 9 and culminates with Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Live at Brooklyn Steel on September 10, where Skippa is also scheduled to perform alongside Lucky Daye, Yung Miami, kwn, Samara Cyn and Destin Conrad.
For Skippa, whose real name is Tahjay Clarke, the moment marked another step in his emergence beyond Jamaica and onto the international music scene. Billboard previously highlighted the 25-year-old Kingston artiste as its 2026 Caribbean Rising Star, noting that his catalogue had accumulated 29.3 million official on-demand streams in the United States in 2026 through August 2.
Accepting his honor, Skippa acknowledged that public speeches aren’t usually his forte.
“I’m not really a man of much words, but I try my best.”
He then thanked Billboard for using its platform to recognize not only emerging talent generally, but young artists representing the Caribbean.
“First of all, I’d like to say thank you to Billboard, not just for acknowledging rising stars, but young Caribbean rising stars.”
That Caribbean distinction carries particular weight for Skippa, who has emerged as one of the prominent young voices in Jamaica’s trap-dancehall movement. Billboard has described his sound as combining hard-hitting trap production with melodic dancehall delivery, influenced by both American hip-hop and the Jamaican music he grew up around.
During his speech, Skippa also extended his appreciation to Kyle, whom he credited as one of the people instrumental in creating opportunities for recognition of Caribbean talent.
“I’d like to also stretch my hand to Kyle, because you’re one of the main factors for something like that.”
But the dancehall artiste reserved some of his strongest appreciation for his team and the fans who have supported his rise. He stressed that streams, live-show support and even social-media interactions have collectively helped elevate his career to a point where an institution such as Billboard is taking notice.
“I’d also like to thank my team, you know, my fans. Every stream, every show, every like, every reshare—that really helped put Skippa on a pedestal to be acknowledged by something like Billboard.”
The honor comes during a particularly significant period for Skippa, who was named on of WMV Artist To Watch this year.
Billboard parent company Penske Media Corporation confirmed the Brooklyn Steel concert as the centerpiece of R&B/Hip-Hop Week and specifically named Skippa among its rising-star performers.
