Valiant (Kotch E Hat Boss) Talks Popular Slang and Career – Watch Interview

Nicolas SimpsonOctober 9, 2022, 11:08 AM

The popular ‘Kotch E Hat’ slang that blew up on TikTok gave dancehall artiste Valiant huge recognition as he became the ‘Kotch E Hat Boss’ on social media. Valiant, a former member of Popcaan’s Unruly Camp, has been trying to get the big break he needs to take off in the music industry, and since the viral moment, the views on his music have escalated. Valiant appeared in an episode of Onstage to discuss the viral moment and his career. In the past, he appeared on the show as a part of Popcaan’s entourage, and Popcaan credited him as a “bad, bad singer.”

Now back because of his own rise in popularity, Valiant told Winford Williams that he was taken by surprise when he became viral. When asked how the ‘Kotch E Hat’ slang came into being, he explained that he was doing a video shoot on his birthday, and someone on his team called him “Fada Dippo,” leading him to give the “kotch e hat a lie” response.

The Stoney Hill native said he was only enjoying himself, but the video blew up on TikTok a day after his friend encouraged him to post it. He expressed his surprise at going viral for saying ‘Kotch E Hat’ rather than his music, which he had been working hard on. “And basically, with that, mi music start grow as well, and people start find out seh mi talented as well…being myself brought attention to my music,” he stated.

He explained that while viewers might think he was doing gimmicks, the people around him know that he is that type of person daily. “Everything mi do right now, it trend; hit songs and hit songs,” he said. As a result of the viral TikTok video, his music is getting more airtime on the radio and being played more at parties. One of his most recent shows was at Ding Dong’s birthday celebration, where he performed in front of a large audience. As it relates to performing, the singer says he is still working on mastering his craft and building his confidence.

Additionally, Valiant, a former student of St. Mary’s College, Excel Community College, and Oberlin High School, spoke about his long journey of sleepless nights and his hard work during the pandemic. He continued by voicing, “mi try fi sing di right song dem…so mi just start fi listen weh mi fans dem affi seh, cause memba yuh a sing towards yuh fans, yuh nah sing towards yourself enuh. So mi listen to dem and mi master mi craft, and mi start something, my own thing wid my team, Diplomats, and yuh have Chop Line under Diplomats…”

While his parents initially believed that he should try a different career path, the entertainer, who is also a father, noted that he was now proving to his parents that he could make it in the industry. He described his music as “Trappa-Gospel,” a term he created, which means fusing Trap songs with soulful songs. Valiant’s latest single, released a week ago, is called North Coralina, and it is trending at #2 for music on YouTube with over 571,775 views and more than 32,000 likes. His most popular single on YouTube is St. Mary, which has garnered more than 1 million views and over 40,000 likes. His upcoming projects for this year include an EP and several singles, including Cut All Mi Losses and Science.

Watch the full interview with Valiant below: