Tehn Diamond

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Tehn Diamond
Tehn Diamond.jpg
Tehn Diamond performing at the Big Brother Africa finals in 2013
Background information
Birth nameTendai Nguni
Born (1985-01-17) 17 January 1985 (age 40)
Origin Harare, Zimbabwe
Genres Hip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
  • record producer
Years active2006–present
LabelsIndependent
Spouse Miss Chindiya

Tendai Ryan Nguni (born 17 January 1985), better known by his stage name Tehn Diamond or Tehn, [1] is a Zimbabwean rapper, singer, and songwriter. [2] He is a member of the hip-hop collective Few Kings, [3] with whom he has released one album. [4] On 1 January 2017, Tehn Diamond made his debut in the music industry with the release of his first album, A Few Good Poems. [5] [6] Later that year, he released the sequel to his album The Feeling Ain't Fair with the album titled The Feeling Ain't Fair or #TFAF2, [7] in collaboration with Jnr Brown and Take Fizzo. Diamond also starred in the movie Cook Off, Zimbabwe's first feature film to be released on Netflix. [8] [9]

Contents

Early life

Tehn Diamond was born in 1985 to Sylvester Nguni, a politician who worked as a caregiver. He has two sisters and one brother. Raised in the gated community of Borrowdale Brooke in Harare, Zimbabwe, Tehn Diamond attended St George's College. He later decided to pursue a finance degree in Brisbane, Australia. However, he eventually decided to shift his focus to music and finished his studies. [10]

In 2008, the Federal Government of Australia announced the revocation of student visas for nine children belonging to the senior members of former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's regime; Tehn Diamond was among those affected. [11]

Musical career

Early years

After relocating to Singapore, Tehn Diamond explored music. [12] He did over 800 live performances. [13] He later returned to Zimbabwe, where he had since established permanent residence.

Tehn Diamond's career started with the release of the mixtape titled Student of the Game: Higher Learning in 2008. [14] This was followed by another mixtape titled Student of the Game: Boys Will Be Boys in 2010. These mixtapes garnered significant attention, amassing a considerable fan base. Tehn Diamond's work earned him recognition at the National Arts Awards in 2012, where he was honored with the Best Video accolade. [15]

2012–present

In December 2014, he embarked on an extensive tour across Zimbabwe, performing for audiences at different venues across the country. The tour culminated in a show held in Bulawayo, which was hosted by the local beauty brand, Vault Cosmetics. [16] [17] Throughout his career, Tehn Diamond has collaborated with various fellow Zimbabwean artists, including The Djembe Monks, a tribal house music group from Bulawayo. He had also headlined Africa's biggest reality TV show Big Brother. [18] [19] [20]

Tehn's song "Happy", featuring Jnr Brown, was placed in rotation nationally by all major radio stations, including Star FM and Power FM. [21] It was also nominated for best song of the year at the Zim Hip Hop Awards. [22] On Valentine's Day 2015, he had the opportunity to open for Cassper Nyovest at 1+1 Long Cheng Plaza in Harare. [23]

Awards

National Arts Merit Awards

The awards which are commonly referred to as the NAMAs are the principal awards in Zimbabwe. Tehn Diamond has won a NAMA more than once, particularly in 2012 for Best Video ("Happy" featuring Jnr Brown).[ citation needed ]

YearNominee / workAwardResult
2010Student of the Game: Higher LearningBest Hip Hop ArtistWon
Best Hip Hop AlbumWon
2012Student of the Game: Boys Will Be BoysBest VideoWon

Discography

Compilation albums

List of albums, with selected details
TitleAlbum details
The Feeling Ain't Fair
(with Few Kings)
  • Released: 23 October 2013
  • Label: KYN Records, Nothing Short of Amazing, Big Boy Business, Zion
  • Format: CD, digital download

Singles

List of singles, showing year released and album name
TitleYearAlbum
"Happy" [24]
(featuring Jnr Brown)		2013The Feeling Ain't Fair
"Grown up Kid" [25] 2012Student of the Game: Pursuit of Amazing
"Simudza Gumbo" [26]
(featuring Dadza D)		2014The Perfect Tehn

References

  1. ↑ "A three way with Tehn and Breezy".
  2. ↑ "Director Of Purpose [#ATCTND] (@iamTEHN) - Twitter". twitter.com.
  3. ↑ Godwin, Mungwadzi (27 March 2023). "Rappers Tehn Diamond, Jnr Brown and super producer Take 5 launches super group, announces album title and release date".
  4. ↑ "Few Kings: The Feeling Ain't Fair Album Art and Track List".
  5. ↑ "A Few Good Poems by Tehn" – via itunes.apple.com.
  6. ↑ 3-mob.com (13 January 2017). "Tehn Diamond releases the real 'A Few Good Poems' album". Three Men On A Boat.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ SpekkTrumn. "The Explosion That Is @FewKings' #TFAF2 cc @iamTEHN @jnrbrown263 @takefizzo #ZimHipHop".
  8. ↑ "Zimbabwe: Faces Behind Zim's First Netflix Hit". allAfrica.com. 15 June 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  9. ↑ Dzirutwe, MacDonald (1 June 2020). "Zimbabwean film industry makes Netflix debut with 'Cook Off'". Reuters. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  10. ↑ "Hip-hop artiste aims high". 31 January 2013.
  11. ↑ "Zimbabwe leaders' children in Australia: who's here".
  12. ↑ "Politicians look East to study as West closes doors".
  13. ↑ "Zimbabwean Diamond in the making".
  14. ↑ "Tehn Diamond - Student of The Game Vol 1: Higher Learning (2008)". SoundCloud. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  15. ↑ "Tehn Diamond releases third mixtape".
  16. ↑ Chronicle, The (2 February 2015). "Vault Bulawayo launch draws bumper crowd". The Chronicle. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  17. ↑ "Live Show: Tehn Diamond sparkles on stage".
  18. ↑ "ZIMBABWE'S TEHN DIAMOND TO ROCK BBA8 STAGE".
  19. ↑ "Tehn Diamond, Junior Brown to perform at BBA".
  20. ↑ "Tehn Diamond to grace BBA".
  21. ↑ "FAB New Music: MC Tehn Diamond 'Happy' featuring Junior Brown".
  22. ↑ "Local hip-hop gets a chance to shine".
  23. ↑ twitter.com/CassperNyovest/status
  24. ↑ "Tehn Diamond – Music – Happy [feat. Jnr Brown; – Single by Tehn Diamond, Jnr Brown]". fewkings.com. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  25. ↑ "Grown Up Kid – Official Music Video by Tehn Diamond". greedysouth.co.zw. 12 September 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  26. ↑ "Simudza Gumbo [feat. Dadza D]". greedysouth.co.zw. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
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