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Tehn Diamond
Tehn Diamond performing at the Big Brother Africa finals in 2013
Tehn Diamond performing at the Big Brother Africa finals in 2013
Background information
Birth nameTendai Nguni
Born (1985-01-17) 17 January 1985 (age 39)
OriginHarare, Zimbabwe
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
  • record producer
Years active2006–present
LabelsIndependent
SpouseMiss Chindiya

Tendai Ryan Nguni (born January 17, 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 January 1, 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 The Feeling Ain't Fair titled The Feeling Ain't Fair or #TFAF2,[7] in collaboration with Jnr Brown and Take Fizzo. Then Diamond also stars in the movie Cook Off, Zimbabwe's first feature film to be released on Netflix.[8][9]

Early life

[edit]

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 decides to pursue a Finance degree in Brisbane, Australia. However, he eventually decided to shift his focus to music and discontinued 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 Zimababwe President Robert Mugabe's regime, Tehn Diamond was among those affected.[11]

Musical career

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Early years

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After relocating to Singapore, Tehn Diamond explored music.[12] He did over 800 live performances.[13]. Subsequently, he returned to Zimbabwe, where he has 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] which 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

[edit]

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 has 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 renowned artist, Cassper Nyovest at 1+1 Long Cheng Plaza in Harare. His performance was met with tremendous acclaim, with both fans and Cassper Nyovest himself, expressing their admiration on Twitter. This further cemented Tehn Diamond's position as a highly regarded and celebrated music figure in the Africa music industry.[23]

Awards

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National Arts Merit Awards

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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]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2010 Student of the Game: Higher Learning Best Hip Hop Artist Won
Best Hip Hop Album Won
2012 Student of the Game: Boys Will Be Boys Best Video Won

Discography

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Compilation albums

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List of albums, with selected details
Title Album 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

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

References

[edit]
  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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