There is a reason I like Claude McKay’s poem ‘Ten Haiku’.
The poem in question goes [in part, of course]: From watching the moon I turned And my friendly old Shadow led me home.
This stanza [above] reminds me of the time Tay Grin, the beloved son of the soil who has brought us a number of international awards, was not known for his music prowess.
Now, Tay Grin must have been watching the moon in Botswana at the time— which is basically the period before 2006. The moon, as a metaphor, could mean so many things here but, in Tay Grin’s world, it should mean music.
He must have watched musicians in Botswana make hay while the sun shined. Their version of the sun that is. He must have watched a new generation of artists in Botswana get ‘hunted’ by their fans. Yes, they could get hunted by cash-wielding fans, and get penned in a glorious spot that was prime time on television and what have you.
He must have realised that, although he must have created a deep pile of time in Botswana, he was wasting precious time there. There was a music mine in Malawi.
And so Tay Grin came, when Mr Splash was everyone’s man. Television was no television without Mr Splash, a man I have come to know as the most humble and best of people in this land called The Warm Heart of Africa.
The one thing that makes Tay Grin to be Tay Grin is his persistence. Tay Grin is a go-getter! Simple. And this is what has brought him this far; and all the awards.
That time, Tay Grin could make it a point to promote his music videos. I am referring to his first music video that featured a mask dancer.
Every two weeks, when Tay Grin observed that his music did not play, he would call the television station [MBC, I mean], reminding it about how good his music is.
Tay Grin could plead, to the point of getting close to kneeling— just to ensure he was the centre of attention musically.
And Tay Grin was approachable. A son of the soil.
Well, fast-forward to 2017. Tay Grin is the man you have to seek out. He is having his moment in the moment; a moment he worked so hard for that he deserves it.
It’s his moment of relief; all anxiety of being overlooked in the music industry gone. There is time to watch the moon, and time to attend to one’s own business.
Now, that’s what we call enjoying life
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