Toxic Lyrikali on how he overcame Kayole ghetto life to Kenya’s Dancehall success

Kenyan rapper Toxic Lyrikali has returned to the Kayole neighborhood in Nairobi where he spent much of his childhood, reflecting on the poverty, hardship and street culture that shaped his journey into music.

The rapper revisited his former neighborhood in a vlog by content creators 18 Carati and Marianne Vivela on their YouTube channel, MV18 Global.

Walking through the streets of Kayole's Soweto area, Toxic reflected on growing up in a single-parent household, surviving periods of hunger and working at a dumpsite to raise money for basic needs.

He recalled growing up without a father figure, saying the boys he encountered in the neighborhood became an important part of his upbringing.

“I didn't have like a father you know, so my father figure was boys from the ghetto, boys from the hood,” Lyrikali said.

At the same time, Toxic said his childhood was marked by severe financial difficulties, with food not always guaranteed at home.

He recalled that breakfast could consist of hot water and a piece of mandazi, while lunch was often skipped.

The rapper said the family sometimes relied on a local shopkeeper who allowed them to obtain groceries on credit.

“Breakfast it's like hot water and just a piece of mandazi... Lunch most of the time we don't eat... He [shopkeeper] is the one used to help me, give supper sometimes. I used to be hungry man.”

Before gaining recognition as a musician, Toxic worked at the local dumpsite collecting materials that could be sold for money.

He said he collected scrap metal, copper, plastics and cartons, with his earnings depending on the material and its weight.

“This is where we used to sell scrap metals to get the money for food... I worked here for all my life... 2023 then I start leaving this job.”

He later took up manual construction work, commonly known as mjengo, before his music career began gaining traction.

The rapper's account places much of his transformation around 2023, when his music started reaching a wider audience.

Lyrikali also explained the meaning behind his stage name, which he said was influenced by the environment in which he grew up.

According to the rapper, “Toxic” reflected the difficult and “intoxicated” environment surrounding the dumpsite and ghetto life.

“Lyrikali,” meanwhile, draws from the Swahili word kali, which he explained can be used to describe something bitter, fierce or gangster-like.

“Kali is a Swahili word which means bitter... so we use bitter to say something gangster bad... Toxic Lyrikali.”

He further added that his music was also influenced heavily by Jamaican dancehall, with artists such as Vybz Kartel and Tommy Lee among the figures he listened to while growing up.

Toxic said he had started freestyling while in high school in 2019, but only began pursuing music professionally several years later in 2023.

His major breakthrough after 2023 came with “Thugnificent,” which he says helped introduce him to a much wider audience. The song has since surpassed 11 million views on YouTube.

Following the success of “Thugnificent,” the rapper followed it with “Chinje,” in November 2024 which became his first song to reach one million views at the time.

The hit song in September 2026 broke the record for the most-watched Kenyan rap song in history, surpassing 20 million views on YouTube.

“It was on 2023... my song Thugnificent blew up... then I released Chinje and my first million [views]... Not all ghetto artists get the recognition and love, so I'm like the first artist to break that cycle.”

He later filmed the music video for “Confirmation” in April 2025 featuring fellow artist Mr Ree at the same Kayole dumpsite where he had previously collected scrap metal, including scenes filmed on top of a bulldozer.

For Toxic, the location represented more than a music-video setting. It was a reminder of the environment he had worked to escape.

Over the few years, the rapper has built a strong streaming catalogue, with four tracks recording more than 10 million views each on YouTube, led by his hit "Chinje", which has surpassed 20 million views.

A further eight tracks have attracted between 4 million and 10 million views each, while more than 10 other songs published on his channel with over half a million subscribers have crossed the 1 million-view mark.

His reach extends to Spotify, where more than 10 of his tracks have surpassed 1 million streams. As of September 2026, he boasted of 274,300 monthly listeners on the platform.

Lyrikali's most-streamed song on Spotify is “Backbencher,” with about 6.4 million streams.

The rapper has also worked on successful projects with artists including Dyana Cods, Kapitani, Mauru Gwash, Bridgette Blue, Zzero Sufuri and Master VK.

Outside Kenya, he has collaborated with trailblazing six-member British afroswing collective NSG from Hackney, East London.

The streaming figures, collaborations and tens of stage performances reflect the rapid growth of Toxic Lyrikali's music career since his breakthrough in 2023

The vlog also showed the reception Toxic received from residents and childhood friends during his return to Kayole.

He explained that the same people he grew up with in the neighborhood now help protect him when he returns.

While outsiders can face security risks in parts of the area, Toxic said his longstanding relationships with residents allow him to move around safely.

His relationship with Kayole has also extended into his work with young people.

The rapper has used his platform to support residents, including buying food and other items for children, while encouraging upcoming artists from the area.

Among those he has sought to support are fellow Kayole artists such as Kapitani and Mr Ree.

Toxic Lyrikali's return to Kayole offered a glimpse into the circumstances behind the persona and lyrics that have helped establish him in Kenya's music scene