Valiant Wins ‘Best Caribbean Music Act’ At 2023 MOBO Awards
Dancehall artist Valiant has won a MOBO Award (Music of Black Origin) in the ‘Best Caribbean Music Act’ category at the 26th staging, which will be held later today.
Jamaican artists Shenseea, Popcaan, Byron Messia, Kabaka Pyramid, and Trinidad singer Destra Garcia were the other nominees in the category.
Messia is scheduled to perform at the awards, to be held at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena in London.
The MOBO Awards made the announcement on Twitter, writing: “Congratulations to @Valiant_Musiq for winning Best Caribbean Music Act at the 26th #MOBOAwards in association with @Mobolise!”
The eligibility period for the 26th MOBO Awards was from 1st September 2022 – 31st August 2023.
The MOBO Awards was started in 1996 by Kanya King to celebrate talent of black origin, making music in the United Kingdom. It honors the artistic and technical achievements of exceptional British and international talent in hip hop, grime, R&B and soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Afrobeats.
“We have a history of recognising emerging talent, playing a crucial role in launching the careers of so many artists who might otherwise have been overlooked by the broader industry,” King noted in a new interview with Music Week.
Skillibeng was named the ‘Best Caribbean Music Act’ in 2022 after the category replaced the award for ‘Best Reggae Act.’ The award for ‘Best Reggae Act’ previously went to Shenseea (2021), Buju Banton (2020), and Damian Marley (2017).
2023’s winner Valiant, who is now reportedly signed to Sony Music UK’s Epic Records UK, had an impressive breakout run last year. It began in late 2022, when the artist, whose given name is Raheem Bowes, went viral for glibly uttering the words “kotch e hat, a lie” during a music video shoot.
A string of hit songs followed, including Speed Off, Dunce Check, CAL (Cut All Losses), North Carolina, Expensive, and Mad Out.
In January last year, iconic fashion magazine Vogue listed Valiant as one of “The 9 Musicians Set to Take Over in 2023,” with which its readers should familiarize themselves.
During a later interview, he explained that he had been recording music for several years but had not got his big break until he changed his mode of operation and founded what he describes as ‘Trappa Gospel’.
The Red Hills native also listed some of Jamaica’s music legends as his biggest influences.
“RIP Bob Marley. Bob, a one a dem,” he said. “Beres, Barrington Levy, all di great singer dem you know. Big up Shabba dem, Shaggy, mi have dem as greats too, weh bin do it. Suh when me look pan myself, towards dem, me have nuff work fi do.”