BBC Africa Beats: Malawi's Peter Mawanga

Peter Mawanga feels that it is high time the world was exposed to the riches of Malawian music.

While many of his countrymen play reggae or other musical styles borrowed from elsewhere, he and his band, the Amaravi Movement, make music inspired by traditional Malawian rhythms and instruments.

Known in his country as "the voice of the voiceless", Mawanga has a strong social conscience and is not afraid to speak out on behalf of the poor.

He ruffled feathers with his first hit Amakhala ku Blantyre which suggested that city dwellers who visit villages may not be as rich as they seem - they may have borrowed their fancy clothes.

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Tay Grin's Bio

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.

Read full bio on his Website.

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Malawi: Tay Grin 's new album

Malawian hip-hop sensation, Tay Grin’s music wowed many Malawians who gathered at London’s Club Afrique last Friday and Saturday. Tay Grin is in the UK to promote his new album that launches in Blantyre on August 7. He told the BBC Network Africa on Tuesday that he respected the way the fans responded to his two shows in the UK.

“It’s been wonderful … the shows have been fantastic,” said Tay Grin who is to perform in Nottingham and Manchester. The Cannel O Video awards nominee who has lined up pre-album launch shows in the UK said he created ‘Nyau Music’ because a lot of youth are now interested in Malawian culture.

“I call it Nyau music because of the traditional element … the youths are now interested in what this [culture] means,” he said. He added: “My music targets the youth. The message is– the youth need to be productive and progressive.” Asked why he chose hip-hop of all genres, Tay Grin – who was a special guest in Tuesday’s Focus on Africa Program – told Sarong, “Hip-hop is already in the system. Hip-hop has influence among the youth–the way they talk; they way they dress. I said to myself, “Why not use the music already in the system? Why change the system? It is about using what has already been in existence.”

I actually heard Tay Grin's single (2 by 2) some months back. I was blown away at the way he infused hip hop with the traditional malawi music. The video was shot in the village and was pretty nice too. His future seems to be promising not only in the malawian music industry; but worldwide.

Source: Jamati

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