450 is the stage name of Tristen Escoffery, a Jamaican dancehall artist who was born in Kingston and raised in Clarendon. The number comes from his birthday, 5 April 2000. He broke through in 2021 with the autobiographical “Imperfection” and landed his biggest hit so far with “Wild n Rich” in 2023. He is now one of the leading melodic voices in modern dancehall.
In 2025 he put out his debut album, and in 2026 he has kept the singles coming, including “Good Ole Gyal”, a duet with Stalk Ashley. Here is the full picture: who he is, where the name comes from, and the songs that made him.
450 at a glance
- Real name: Tristen Escoffery
- Born: 5 April 2000, Kingston, Jamaica; grew up in Clarendon, where he attended Lennon High School
- Sound: melodic, story-driven dancehall
- Recording since: 2019
- Core team: manager and producer Jahvy Ambassador (Tru Ambassador Entertainment) and longtime beatmaker Week.day
- Debut album: Pieces of Me (May 2025)
Why is he called 450?
The name is his birth date written as a number. He explained it to DancehallMag in 2021: the 4 is April, the fourth month, and the 5 is the fifth day. The zero completes the tag. The Jamaica Observer has also reported that the name was inspired by his date of birth, 5 April 2000.
Where is 450 from, and how did he start?
Escoffery was born in Kingston and moved to Clarendon as a teenager. He started writing songs at about 15, while he was still in high school, and began recording properly in 2019. His first releases were “Bines A Fly” for Yong X Ray Entertainment and “Size Ten” for Talk of the Town Music, and those songs opened doors to other producers.
The most important of those was Jahvy Ambassador of Tru Ambassador Entertainment. He heard one of 450’s early songs, saw potential, and went on to become his manager. A run of singles followed, including “Group Up”, “Highway” and “Lonely”, which built a following before the big breakthrough.
The breakout: “Imperfection” (2021)
Everything changed in June 2021 with “Imperfection”, which some streaming services list as “Imperfections”. Week.day produced it for Tru Ambassador Entertainment. The song drew on real events in 450’s life, and its DamaniacVisualz-directed video reached No. 5 on YouTube’s trending list in Jamaica. By the end of the year the Jamaica Observer was saying the song had put him on the radar.
He followed it quickly. “Journey” told the story of his come-up, and its video climbed to No. 2 on YouTube’s trending list in Jamaica. “Gyal Thief” came next, and “Purge” closed out 2021. That run turned a viral newcomer into an artist people expected hits from.
450’s biggest songs
- “Imperfection” (2021): the breakthrough
- “Journey” (2021): the story of his rise
- “Gyal Thief” (2021)
- “Purge” (2021)
- “Live n’ Learn” (2023)
- “Wild n Rich” (2023): produced by Week.day; according to the Jamaica Observer it went No. 1 on Apple Music in 14 Caribbean islands
- “Faith” with Valiant (2024)
- “Bad Gyal Remix” with NLE Choppa (2024)
- “No Patience” (2025): from Pieces of Me
- “World On Fire” (2026): produced by Weekday; per DancehallMag it hit No. 1 on iTunes in Bermuda
“Wild n Rich” came out in November 2023 and became the song that took him furthest. That same year, 450 completed his first tour of England, an important step toward audiences beyond the Caribbean.
Notable 450 collaborations
450 mostly releases solo songs, but his features have taken him into new territory:
- Davido feat. Shenseea & 450, “R&B” (2025). This track appears on Davido’s album 5ive, released in April 2025. 450 told The Star that Davido reached out to work with him, and he described it as his first collaboration at that level.
- 450 & Valiant, “Faith” (2024). This is a reflective single produced by Jevaughn Tennant of Lyle Don Records. 450 also appears on the title track of Valiant’s 2025 EP, “Prove Them Wrong”.
- 450 & NLE Choppa, “Bad Gyal Remix” (2024). The American rapper jumped on a remix of 450’s own single.
- Jamarii & 450, “No Days Off” (2026). Weekday produced this July 2026 single for the up-and-coming Kingston artist.
- 450 & Stalk Ashley, “Good Ole” (2026). This August 2026 duet is covered below.
450 and Stalk Ashley: “Good Ole Gyal” (2026)
In mid-August 2026, 450 teamed up with Jamaican Dancehall&B singer Stalk Ashley. DancehallMag reported the collaboration on 16 August as “Good Ole Gyal”, and 450 had teased it on Instagram. On streaming services and in the official video on 450’s channel, the song is titled “Good Ole”. The credits list both artists as songwriters and DethWrld as producer, and Weekday mixed and mastered it.
The pairing fits. Both artists have recorded with Valiant: 450 on “Faith”, and Stalk Ashley on the chart-topping “Narcissistic” (see her Valiant collaborations). Both also write from personal experience. For more on how the song came together, see our release story and the 450 & Stalk Ashley collaboration page.
450 songs 2025–2026: what he has released lately
Pieces of Me (2025)
450 released Pieces of Me, his 16-track debut album, on 30 May 2025 through Tru Ambassador Entertainment. It is rooted in dancehall with touches of Afrobeats and reggae, and it deals with love, heartbreak and personal growth. In October 2025, The Star reported the album had sold nearly 7,000 units in the US, which is unusual for a dancehall project in the streaming era. Videos for the title track, “Anomaly” and “No Patience” helped keep it in rotation.
The 2026 run
- “Self Worth” with CJTheChemist (January)
- “Bounce” with Week.day, released over the Easter weekend (April)
- “World On Fire” (May), a personal song he says he wrote during a rough stretch
- “No Days Off” with Jamarii (July)
- “Good Ole” with Stalk Ashley (August)
He will also make his first Caribbean Music Awards appearance on 19 September 2026 at NAPA in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, where he is performing and is nominated for Album of the Year. “It feels like a big moment for me,” he told the Jamaica Observer.
Where to start with 450
For the story, start with “Imperfection” and “Journey”. For his biggest hit, play “Wild n Rich”. For the complete artist, listen to Pieces of Me from start to finish. Then play “Good Ole” to hear him alongside Stalk Ashley, whose other songs and duets show how she fits into the same new-school dancehall scene.
Frequently asked questions
What is 450’s real name?
450’s real name is Tristen Escoffery. He is a Jamaican dancehall artist born in Kingston and raised in Clarendon.
Why is the artist called 450?
The name comes from his birth date, 5 April 2000. He has explained that the 4 stands for April and the 5 for the fifth day of the month.
What is 450’s biggest song?
His breakthrough was “Imperfection” in 2021, and “Wild n Rich” (2023) is his biggest hit so far. According to the Jamaica Observer, it reached No. 1 on Apple Music in 14 Caribbean islands.
What songs has 450 released in 2026?
His 2026 releases include “Self Worth” with CJTheChemist, “Bounce” with Week.day, “World On Fire”, “No Days Off” with Jamarii and “Good Ole” with Stalk Ashley.
Has 450 worked with Stalk Ashley?
Yes. In August 2026 they released a duet that DancehallMag reported as “Good Ole Gyal”. It is titled “Good Ole” on streaming services and in the official video on 450’s YouTube channel.
Sources
- Jamaica Observer – 450’s Imperfections puts him on radar (Dec 2021)
- DancehallMag – Interview: Dancehall newcomer 450 keeps it 100 on hit song ‘Imperfection’ (Jun 2021)
- DancehallMag – Dancehall artist 450 talks his ‘Journey’ (Sep 2021)
- Jamaica Observer – 450 counts up the success (Dec 2023)
- The Star – Faith brings 450 and Valiant together (Mar 2024)
- The Star – 450 bares his soul on ‘Pieces of Me’ (May 2025)
- The Star – 450’s ‘Pieces Of Me’ racking up sales (Oct 2025)
- Wikipedia – 5ive (Davido album)
- Sony Music Canada – Valiant releases new EP ‘Prove Them Wrong’
- DancehallMag – 450 charts with ‘World on Fire’ (May 2026)
- South Florida Caribbean News – No Days Off: Jamarii, 450 collab
- DancehallMag – 450 links up with Stalk Ashley on new track ‘Good Ole Gyal’ (Aug 2026)
- Apple Music – Good Ole (450, Stalk Ashley & DethWrld) credits
- Jamaica Observer – 450 set for Caribbean Music Awards performance (Sep 2026)
