Byron Messia has given a short answer about what “Talibans” means: he calls it a warning, not a song that celebrates crime.
In a 2023 interview with Dash Radio host Maiwand, which DancehallMag reported in May 2023, the artist said “It’s more of a warning song”. He added: “It’s not a crime organization song, it’s more like telling somebody ‘If you want, we can get down like how di people dem in Afghanistan get down’ song.”
So the title borrows the name of the Afghan militant group as a symbol of toughness. It does not claim any real tie to the group. Messia’s crew takes the name, and the hook tells rivals not to test them.
What the Lyrics Say
Most lyric analyses describe the song the same way. Songfacts sums it up this way: “United under the banner of the Talibans, he and his friends fearlessly navigate their path, unyielding in the face of adversaries.” The site describes the chorus as showing a toughness that “refuses to retreat from any confrontation.”
Critics have not fully accepted the “warning song” label. DancehallMag’s 2023 report said that, despite that description, the track “more accurately checks the boxes of a typical badman anthem.”
The second verse names Jamaican singer Jada Kingdom, and she makes a cameo in the accompanying music video. Guns appear throughout the video, which was directed by Ty Lott and Neatz Films, and a murder is staged near the end.
Messia has also downplayed how seriously the song was made. He told Dash Radio: “In the making of Taliban, it wasn’t even something serious, I never wrote down the lyrics… It’s based on pure inside jokes,” according to The Shade Room’s 2023 report, which cited DancehallMag.
The Sound: Dancehall Lyrics Over an Afrobeats-Leaning Beat
Part of the song’s appeal is the contrast between hard lyrics and a smooth beat. In a 2023 Official Charts interview, Messia said the song’s gritty lyrics, which touch on gang culture, are “not something you usually hear,” on an Afrobeats beat. He explained: “You normally hear love songs, that’s the main purpose of Afrobeats.”
DancehallMag reported in February 2024 that the beat mixes Afrobeats and trap, and was co-produced by Ztekk Records and California-based EJ Fya.
In July 2023, DancehallMag noted debate over whether the song counts as Dancehall or Afrobeats, though Messia said it doesn’t matter.
Release and the Burna Boy Remix
“Talibans” came out on January 20, 2023, and appears on Messia’s album No Love (Ztekk/Simple Stupid/Geffen). In a 2023 report, Billboard described Messia as born in Jamaica and based in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The official remix, “Talibans II,” features Nigerian star Burna Boy. Sources give different release dates. Billboard says the remix was released July 21, while Wikipedia gives July 20, 2023.
The remix was also the second single from Burna Boy’s seventh studio album, I Told Them… (2023). The Fader reported in July 2023 that its video shows the two artists on tennis courts and a golf course at an exclusive resort.
Chart Performance
According to Billboard’s August 3, 2023 report, “Talibans II” debuted at No. 99 on the Hot 100 chart dated August 5. It was Messia’s first song on the chart.
The Jamaica Observer noted that it was the first time in two years that a Jamaican artist had entered the all-genre Hot 100.
In the UK, the song first entered the singles chart at No. 67 on the chart dated June 8, 2023. It later rose to No. 12, helped in part by the Burna Boy remix. In the US, the remix also reached No. 3 on Billboard’s US Afrobeats Songs chart.
Certifications
- UK Silver and Gold: The song was certified Silver in August 2023. The BPI then awarded it Gold on February 23, 2024, for more than 400,000 units.
- UK Platinum: Loop News reported in April 2025 that the BPI issued the Platinum award on Friday, April 4, for sales and streaming equivalent to more than 600,000 units. The Jamaica Star’s report on the same award gave a different number, saying the song surpassed 400,000 equivalent units. That figure matches the earlier Gold threshold, so the reports disagree.
- Canada: The song was certified Gold in Canada in September 2023 for more than 40,000 units.
The Jamaica Star described “Talibans” as the first trap-dancehall song certified platinum in the UK. Messia told the Jamaica Observer in 2025: “It’s a major accomplishment for me just being a youth from the ghetto. And it’s a major accomplishment for the genre itself, dancehall,”
Bottom Line
Messia’s own explanation is that “Talibans” is a warning: a crew calling itself the Talibans tells enemies to back off. Critics, including DancehallMag, hear it as a classic badman anthem.
Either way, the song became his breakthrough, earning a Billboard Hot 100 entry, a UK top 20 peak and multiple certifications.
