Tay Grin
At age 9 Limbani Kalilani asserted he would be his own boss. At 14 he predicted two things; that he would own his own company and be a rap music sensation before he was 21.
Both came true; Phone Yanu (Pvt) Ltd, one of the most successful recent start-up companies and competitive wireless mobile public payphone company in Malawi is his brainchild and Tay-Grin the hip-hop artist is his alter-ego.
The first rap artist to make an impression on Tay was Jay-z. Impressed by the history and acuity of hip-hop in poetic diction, musicality, message and its influence on the world over the last 30 years, Tay knew he had found the appropriate medium for self-expression and influence.
Honing his rap skills since his teens, Tay has been influenced by legendary rappers like Jay-z, KRS 1, B.I.G and Tupac.
To find his individual and distinctive rap voice however, Tay looked inwards at his African soul and found that the roots of his Chewa heritage and Malawian culture gave him his true and unique style that complemented the original American hip-hop template.
A chance meeting with Onree Gill, Alicia Keys manager, in 2005 on a Chicago-Atlanta flight confirmed that he had a hip-hop destiny.
This was further emphasized in a brief meet with Craig a multi- platinum producer for the likes of Kanye West in Chicago at the Hinge Studios.
On return to Malawi, Tay poured his energy into his first ever track and scored a number-one hit with Break-Out! The track was an underground and club hit, gearing the public up in expectation of an album.
But not one to take things lightly, Tay spent the next 18 months in the lab and has finally dropped the highly anticipated debut album ‘Split Screens’.
Due out in May 2007, ‘Split Screens’ is about making life better, moving away from the negative and embracing the positive, this is how Limbani/Tay approaches life and business.
Each step, each decision, each enterprise must be a positive one and one that will enable and empower at least one other person. In the words of legendary “edutainment” guru KRS-One “each one must teach one” Entertainment merged with education is a medium for speaking to the youth in language they are most comfortable with, without feeling preached to or lectured at.
‘Split Screens’ features 15 tracks (incl. Breakout – The Remix, Ndabwela and Monga Anamwali – The Remix). Engineered & mastered by premier producers, DynaMike Munthali, Q Malewezi and Zee. ‘Split Screens’ features guest appearances from hip-hop’s finest, the inimitable Stix from the Real Elements, Dominant 1, Scar, Stagga, Simalike, Barry and Botswana’s best Selling Kwaito/Kwasakwasa artist VEE Wamampela A.K.A Taku Taku.
Visit Tay Grin’s Official Website
