Published 21 July 2023
Basseterre
Buckie Got It Media Source
Talibans, the summer hit by Byron Messia, appeared on the St. Kitts artist’s No Love album released in January, and since then, the song has made modest moves on the Billboard and UK charts, along with an impressive 36 million views on YouTube. To amplify it, he’s recruited Burna Boy for an official remix and music video, smartly titled Talibans II.
Directed by 20K Visuals, the new video, which features cameos from UK Grime star Dave as well as clips from Burna’s recent birthday bash at Pearly Beach in Ocho Rios, is a fun-filled escapade by the two artists and their vibrant male and female entourages.
Burna Boy kicks off the energy-packed remix with a verse that feeds into Messia’s original vision to infuse Afrobeats with a bit of Caribbean griminess as the Ye singer reeled off his own gun-toting, ‘killy’-backing lyrics.
Though the song is a joyride of embracing ‘badness’, both artists make room for flexing their status, with Burna Boy even fanning the flames of dating rumors between himself and Dancehall starlet Jada Kingdom.
After hailing Kingston, Jamaica, as the place to find the best women (“All a di best p*m p*m deh a Kingston)”, he transitions into singing about the GPP singer, telling fans “… So mi buy a Birkin fi Jada Kingdom”.
For Byron’s part, the 25-year-old held his own alongside the Grammy Award-winning Nigerian, confidently delivering his lyrics with a noticeable oomph when compared to the original. Not much has changed for him on the lines he delivers, but there are a few tweaks to account for Burna Boy’s take on his most popular single.
Fans, who tuned in to the track’s premiere, praised Burna Boy for collaborating with his “fellow brethren”, and some even suggested that this collaboration meant Messia had reached another stratosphere of stardom. Other fans praised Burna Boy for his celebration of Jamaica, and gave a nod to the Afrobeats superstar’s versatility.
Produced by Ztekk Records and EJ Fya, Talibans is Byron Messia’s most successful single to date—currently in its seventh week on the UK Singles chart, at a new peak at No. 31.
It is also currently on four Billboard Airplay charts, rising from No. 45 to 39 in its fourth week on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, from No. 24 to 19 in its second week on the Rap Airplay chart, No. 37 on the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and No. 35 on the Rhythmic Airplay chart.
