Tesmond “Taz” Rowe

Ivor Novello award winning Jamaican born Taz had an early introduction to local artists & Sound System hanging out with Terra Fabulous, Monster Shock, Lee’s Unlimited and Beanie Man. At the age of 12, Taz moved to London and his big break came in 2004 when he hooked up with Dizzee Rascal. Taz produced and co-wrote ‘Just A Rascal’ and supported Dizzee on his 2004 ‘Boy in da corner’ UK Tour. Taz received the prestigious Ivor Novello award and his part in putting UK Grime onto the global mainstream music map cannot be underestimated.

This success led to further production & remix work including Ashanti’s ‘Rain On Me’ and ‘Rock Wit Chu’ plus ‘Locked Up’ taken from Akon’s ‘Trouble’ LP. Soon after the head of Def Jam signed Taz to be the first and only UK rapper on this iconic hip hop label. His debut LP ‘Analyse This’ featuring Kardinal Offishal & Terri Walker features seminal tracks ‘Only God Can Judge Me’, ‘Wish Me Luck’ and the UK Top 40 hit ‘Can’t Contain Me’. ‘Cowboy Film’ went on to become a UK Hip Hop classic featuring Kardinal Offishal, a remix from Sway and Bigz and revolutionising urban video in the UK.

Taz continued to write and produce with Dizzee and toured with Kanye West and Sean Paul. He has performed for Prince Charles alongside Jay-Z, Beyonce and Alicia Keys. Taz has also performed on tracks alongside Akon, Styles P, Estelle, So Solid Crew, Blaxxx and Arrow Benjamin