Learn the name: Dom Vallie

Currently sitting at 332k monthly listeners, Dom Vallie is one of the most powerful rising names in Hip Hop right now. It’s not a surprise if the name sounds familiar, considering his two largest songs, “Vallie Mode” and “Been Himma”, have both garnered millions of streams (4.5 mil and 3.6 mil, respectively) after having been picked up as viral TikTok sounds. Dom was able to achieve this by fulfilling the duties that any musical artist finds themself responsible for in todays musical landscape: posting often, finding new and clever ways to angle a video to focus on a song, and most importantly, A&R’ing one’s own project in order to find the part that will appeal to the largest audience. Dom definitely found these parts on each track: For “Vallie Mode”, Dom focused on the intro, where the culmination of a rising string and vocal sample lead into the first line, “This shit put me in a good mood.” This soundbite would immediately go viral, being used by, well, people in a good mood, as well as for extreme sports and esports highlights. For “Been Himma”, yet again, he focused on the intro, but this time, because the song starts out so intensely and so lyrically driven that you immediately feel a rush as he spits bar after bar at you. In terms of fan use, the videos using this sound were more focused around men’s workout/fitness transformation videos. The videos Dom posted, however, were of him energetically lip-syncing the lyrics to the camera, as well as one where he uses a wide angle go-pro on his skyscraper balcony, which gives a view you simply need to watch to understand (it’s awesome.) These videos have garnered co-signs and support from Russ, @Rap, and many other notable Hip Hop industry alum and publications.

So, who is he? Born in Toronto and raised in Kitchener, Ontario, Dom Vallie is a 21-year-old Hip Hop artist who describes his music as electric and versatile. Throughout his discography, he shows off a ton of flows and cadences; however, the ones that stick out the most will remind you of Lil Wayne (one of his largest inspirations), Xxxtentacion, Jasiah, and even a little Doja Cat. If you disagree with that last one, go listen to “Been Himma” one more time, and then go listen to “Perfect (Remix) (feat. Doja Cat & BIA)” by Cousin Stizz. It’s impressive that Dom writes his own songs, but it’s even more impressive that he directs his own music videos, too. I highly advise you go watch any of his recent music videos, as they bring a level of fun, creativity, and uniqueness that Hip Hop really needs right now.

We hope you stay tuned for whats next in store for him, because the sky is the limit for an artist as promising as Dom Vallie