Kenyan rapper Toxic Lyrikali recently revisited 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. In a vlog by content creators 18 Carati and Marianne Vivela on their YouTube channel, MV18 Global, Toxic walked through the streets of Kayole's Soweto area, recalling his experiences growing up in a single-parent household and surviving periods of hunger.
Toxic Lyrikali grew up without a father figure, and the boys he encountered in the neighborhood became an important part of his upbringing. He described his childhood as 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.
Before gaining recognition as a musician, Toxic worked at the local dumpsite collecting materials that could be sold for money. He collected scrap metal, copper, plastics, and cartons, with his earnings depending on the material and its weight. He later took up manual construction work, commonly known as mjengo, before his music career began gaining traction. Toxic's account places much of his transformation around 2023, when his music started reaching a wider audience.
Toxic Lyrikali 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.
Toxic Lyrikali's major breakthrough 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. In September 2026, "Chinje" broke the record for the most-watched Kenyan rap song in history, surpassing 20 million views on YouTube.
Toxic Lyrikali 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.
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.
Key points
- Toxic Lyrikali's music career took off in 2023 with the success of "Thugnificent" and "Chinje."
- The rapper's childhood experiences in Kayole ghetto significantly influenced his music and persona.
- Toxic Lyrikali has built a strong streaming catalogue with multiple tracks surpassing 1 million views on YouTube and streams on Spotify.
