Tay Grin

Limbani Kalilani (born 15 June 1984) is a Malawian hip hop artist better known by his stage name Tay Grin. His music targets the youth, urging them to take pride in their nation and culture. To take responsibility, utilize their God-given talents and find value in contributing to a positive and brighter future. Whilst emphasizing the need to eradicate negativity and low self-esteem. Tay Grin believes that 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 each one”. Entertainment merged with education is a medium for speaking to the youth in a language they are most comfortable with, without feeling preached to or lectured at.
Honing his rap skills since his teen, 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 African heritage and Malawian culture gave him his true and unique style that complemented the original American hip-hop template.

Tay has performed at several high profile events including the New State House (2007) and twice on the hit show Big Brother Africa (2007/2008). He became the first Malawian to perform live for over a million viewers across Africa on this show. Due to his outstanding work over the past few years, Tay was selected to represent the SADC Region on a live Channel O show for Africa Day on May 23, 2008. Furthermore, Tay Grin was chosen as the Coca-Cola brand ambassador for a promotion campaign in Malawi in 2008. The same year, Tay was selected as one of the few African artists to re-record a song titled ‘Young Gifted & Black’, originally composed by Nina Simone and used as Channel O theme song. The song included legendary South African musicians such as Hugh Masekela and Yvonne Chaka Chaka.

Tay’s first single ‘Stand Up’, a wholly Malawian produced song and video, first aired on Channel O in March 2007. Tay’s conscious and positive music is popular both in Malawi and abroad. He gained respect and recognition as evidenced by his Channel O Spirit of Africa nominations for ‘Stand Up’.
In 2012, Young People in International Affairs (YPIA) selected Tay Grin as one of Africans Top 35 under the age of 35 making an impact “in their respective countries, on the continent and in the wider world.” Tay was named among the Top 100 Most Influential Personalities in the World, positioned on Number 88 by UK’s C.Hub Magazine in January 2015.

ALBUMS

"Proudly African"
‘Proudly African’ features 12 tracks (incl. the hit singles ‘Nyau Music’ featuring MTV AWARD winning artist Nameless from Kenya, ‘2 by 2’, ‘Kaliche’ featuring Kmillian of Zambia and ‘Stand Up’. The album was engineered and mastered by internationally recognized premier producer Tapuwa “Tapps” Bandawe.

"Festive Vibes"
In 2017...