‘4:14’ holds special meaning for Valiant
Published:Friday | June 30, 2023 | 12:58 AM
Dancehall artiste Valiant’s newly released mixtape 4:14 holds special significance for the entertainer.
The title, he shares, represents April 14 and is the date on which he received two of the greatest achievements in his life: the birth of his son and the viral ‘Kotch ‘eh Hat’ video which led to his career breakthrough and subsequent success.
“ 4:14 has to do with timing. It really mek a stamp in we life, 4:14. We have a lot of artistes featured on it that came out to support me … . A far mi a forward from. You know far, far, far. Where we get rejected. If we go [to] a studio, dem a run we out because a sing we a sing so dem nuh waa hear no singer, so mi affi fight fi it a different type a way. Mi nuh waa sing certain things but mi affi sing it, [but] mi really waa show unu seh mi love unu and appreciate this. Mi a go continue doing the good,” Valiant, whose real name is Raheem Bowes, shared during the official launch at the Marketplace Entertainment Centre for the Arts (MECA) on Tuesday.
4:14 will be officially released today and features past and present songs, along with some collaborations. Speaking about the project, the 24-year-old said he aims to show his adroitness.
“The mixtape a really fi show them seh it’s not just trap dancehall alone we can do, [but also] the original dancehall weh we did start off with … The mixtape is really fi set a pace, fi show dem seh we versatile; reggae, dancehall, gospel, afro, Spanish and French,” Valiant added.
Present at the launch, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange congratulated Valiant, while also acknowledging his recent offer to pay the outstanding school fees for a Munro College upper sixth-form student who needs more than $300,000 in order to graduate.
“I’m so proud of Valiant … Tonight, I want to say that Valiant is a special human being. Valiant, you have an awesome responsibility. Now that you’ve gone corporate, I expect that your music will display the kind of awesome responsibility that you have,” she added.