During his high school years at Munro College in St Elizabeth, Tahjay Clarke played midfield for the institution’s football team.

He later captained the U-16 team, where he earned the nickname Skippa. Today, Skippa is one of the leading names in dancehall music, having charted hits such as Hugo, WYFL, Detox, Glocks and Chips and Dead Opps, among others.

On September 10, the former high school football champ scored big at the Billboard Power Players 2026 event in Manhattan, when he was named the Caribbean Rising Star.

Dapperly dressed in suit, Skippa gave props to his team and his fans during his acceptance speech.

“I feel like I’m the only one who didn’t write something, I’ma try my best,” he said, accepting the award after Samara Cym took the Hip-Hop Rising Star Award and Destin Conrad copped the R&B Rising Star Award (he is of Jamaican parentage).

“I’m not a man of many words but I’ll try my best. First of all, I’d like to say thank you to Billboard, not just for acknowledging rising stars but young Caribbean rising stars. And I’d like to also stretch my hat to Kyle (Kyle Denis, Billboard magazine’s staff reporter who covers the reggae/dancehall scene), cause youre one of the main factors for something like that. I’d like to also thank my team, you done know, my fans, every stream, every show, every like, every re-share that helps to put Skippa on a pedestal to be acknowledged by something like Billboard,” Skippa continued.

Skippa, who currently resides in Brooklyn, was born in St Ann. His musical career kicked off in late 2023.