Tanya Morgan

{{Infobox musical artist | name = Tanya Morgan | background = group_or_band | image = | caption = | origin = {{hlist|[[Cincinnati, Ohio]]|[[Brooklyn, New York]]}} | genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] | years_active = 2003–present | label = {{hlist|Loud Minority Music|[[Interdependent Media]]|HiPNOTT Records|Imprint 180}} | website = {{URL|tanyamorgan.net}} | current_members = Devon "Von Pea" Callender William Donald "Donwill" Freeman | past_members = Ilyas Shakir Nasheed }}

'''Tanya Morgan''' is an American [[hip hop music|hip hop]] group, which consists of [[master of ceremonies|MC]] William Donald "Donwill" Freeman and MC/[[record producer|producer]] Devon "Von Pea" Callender.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cooper|first1=Timothy|title=Tanya Morgan: Sons Of the Native Tongue|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/timothy-cooper/tanya-morgan-sons-of-the_b_435807.html|website=huffingtonpost.com|date=27 March 2010 |publisher=HuffPost|accessdate=2016-12-19}}</ref> Donwill is from [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], while Von Pea is from [[Brooklyn, New York]]. Their fourth studio album, ''YGWY$4'', was released on July 28, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/ygwy$4/id1256242991|title=YGWY$4 by Tanya Morgan on Apple Music|website=[[iTunes]]|access-date=2017-10-25}}{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

==History== Tanya Morgan was founded in 2003. Von Pea and Donwill, already regular collaborators after having met on the [[Okayplayer|okayplayer.com]] message board, decided to work on a full-length album together. Ilyas Shakir Nasheed, who along with Donwill comprised a hip-hop duo known as Ilwill, joined the project as a third member, and producer Brick Beats was brought in to work on the album as well. Since Von Pea lived in Brooklyn and both Donwill and Ilyas lived in Cincinnati, the trio did much of the work on their first album by exchanging files across [[AOL Instant Messenger]].

Prior to releasing their debut album ''Moonlighting'', Tanya Morgan released an online [[mixtape]], ''Sunlighting'', and an [[Extended play|EP]] of original material, ''Sunset''. After Tanya Morgan was featured in ''[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]'' Magazine's "Show and Prove" column,<ref>Lucas, Demetria (Dec. 2005). "Show and Prove: Tanya Morgan". ''XXL''.</ref> ''Moonlighting'' was released on Loud Minority Music. The album received 3.5 mics (out of 5) in ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]'' magazine,<ref>Dufresne, Jessica (Apr. 2006). Review for ''Moonlighting'' by Tanya Morgan. ''The Source''.</ref> an entry in the Chairman's Choice column in ''XXL'',<ref>Chairman Mao (May 2006). "Chairman's Choice". ''XXL''.</ref> and coverage in ''[[Wax Poetics]]'' magazine<ref>Ntiri, Ed (June/July 2006). "Tanya Morgan is a hip-hop group". ''Wax Poetics''</ref> and several other publications and websites.

The group released the first [[MySpace]]-themed video for their single "We Be", and it went on to win [[MTVu]]'s Freshman of the Week contest in July 2006. The "We Be" video was resultantly aired on channels such as [[MTV Jams]], [[Much Music]] and [[WNYE-TV]]'s ''[[The Bridge (2005 TV series)|The Bridge]]''.

Tanya Morgan has collaborated with hip-hop acts such as [[Nicolay (musician)|Nicolay]], [[Fat Jon]], [[88-Keys]] and [[Drake (entertainer)|Drake]]. The group performed at [[Toronto]]'s NXNE Festival with Nouveau Riche, and the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival with [[Ghostface Killah]], [[Large Professor]], [[Consequence (rapper)|Consequence]], and others. Tanya Morgan is also a regular at New York's annual CMJ Festival.

Tanya Morgan was voted the winner of the "Show Us What You Got" Hip-Hop Artist Competition, held on October 25, 2007 at the Power Summit in [[Las Vegas, Nevada]]. They were also featured in XXL's "Chairman's Choice" in September 2008, and named in XXLMag.com's Top Ten Artists in July of the same year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=22749 |title=The Big 10 - XXL |publisher=Xxlmag.com |date=2008-07-04 |accessdate=2013-11-11}}</ref> 2008 also saw the release of their EP ''The Bridge''.

In 2009 Tanya Morgan recorded ''[[Brooklynati]]'', an album and coinciding multi-media project that was released May 12, 2009 on Interdependent Media. The album was produced by Brick Beats and Von Pea and included vocals by Carlitta Durand, Napoleon, Peter Hadar and Phonte, with guest appearances from Jermiside, Che Grand and Blu, among others. The music was paired with a multimedia campaign based on the fictitious city "Brooklynati", which combined elements from both Cincinnati, Ohio and Brooklyn, New York.

After Brooklynati, the group reformed with Ilyas moving on to focus on his solo material and video production while Von Pea and Donwill continue to tour as Tanya Morgan, supporting the group's new and classic material as well as Donwill's and Von Pea's own solo releases.

''The Sandwich Shop'' was released in 2010 as a side project in which Von Pea and Donwill put vocals over [[The Roots]]' ''Sandwiches EP''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.okayplayer.com/news/The-Roots-Late-Night-with-Jimmy-Fallon-Sandwiches-Free-EP-.html |title=The Roots - Sandwiches EP}}</ref> In late 2011 the duo put out a 9-track EP entitled ''You & What Army''.

In 2013, Tanya Morgan released their third studio album, ''Rubber Souls'', which was produced entirely by 6th Sense.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/interviews/id.2186/title.tanya-morgan-6th-sense-describe-developing-chemistry-on-rubber-souls|title=Tanya Morgan & 6th Sense Describe Developing Chemistry On "Rubber Souls"|work=[[HipHopDX]]|first=Jesse|last=Fairfax|date=September 24, 2013|access-date=February 3, 2017}}</ref> In 2016, Tanya Morgan reunited with one-time member Ilyas for their collective Lessondary album ''Ahead of Schedule''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/2016/06/29/the-lessondary-crews-debut-arrives-right-on-time/|title=The Lessondary Crew's Debut Arrives, Right on Time|work=Bandcamp Daily|publisher=[[Bandcamp]]|first=Mosi|last=Reeves|date=June 29, 2016|access-date=February 3, 2017}}</ref> The group released fourth album ''YGWY$4'' in July 2017,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://tanyamorgan.bandcamp.com/album/ygwy-4|title=YGWY$4, by Tanya Morgan|website=[[BandCamp]]|access-date=2017-10-25}}</ref> and later in the year composed the music for the podcast [[Thirst Aid Kit]].<ref name="TAK-wnyc">{{cite web |title=Introducing: Thirst Aid Kit |url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/introducing-thirst-aid-kit/ |website=www.wnyc.org |accessdate=29 January 2019}}</ref>

==Discography== ===Albums=== * ''Moonlighting'' (2006) * ''[[Brooklynati]]'' (2009) * ''Rubber Souls'' (2013) * ''Ahead of Schedule'' (2016) (with Rob Cave Spec Boogie, Che Grand, Jermiside, Elucid, Aeon, Brickbeats as Lessondary) * ''YGWY$4'' (2017) * ''Don & Von'' (2021)

===Mixtapes=== * ''Sunlighting'' (2007) * ''Tanya Morgan Is a Rap Group'' (2008)

===EPs=== * ''Sunset'' (2005) * ''The Bridge'' (2008) * ''The Sandwich Shop'' (2010) * ''You & What Army'' (2011) * ''12 Minutes at Karriem's'' (2015) * ''Abandoned Theme Park'' (2016)

===Singles=== * "Take the L" (2006) * "We Be" (2006) * "So Damn Down" (2009) * "Bang & Boogie" (2009) * "Whatever That's Mine" (2011) * "Rock The Bells" (2011) * "Never Too Much" (2013) * "Eulogy" (2014) * "The Vehicle" (2014) * "Stoops" (2016)

=== Guest appearances === * [[Symbolyc One (S1)|Symbolyc One]] – "Everybody Clap" (feat. [[Lifesavas]]) from ''Music Box'' (2008) * Fresh Daily – "Me First" from ''The Gorgeous Killer: In Crimes Of Passion'' (2009) * [[9th Wonder]] – "Streets Of Music" (feat. Enigma) from [[The Wonder Years (9th Wonder album)|''The Wonder Years'']] (2011) * [[Quelle Chris]] – "Greene Eyes" (feat. Fresh Daily) from [[Niggas Is Men|''Too Dirt For TV2: Niggas Is Men'']] (2013) * The Other Guys – "Blow My Mind" from ''Seeds Of Ambition'' (2014) * [[J-Live]] – "City To City" from ''Around The Sun'' (2014) * [[Alliance Ethnik|GUTS]] – "Go For Mine" from ''Hip Hop After All'' (2014) * [[Denmark Vessey]] – "Dr. Martin Lucid Dream" from ''[[Martin Lucid Dream]]'' (2015) * GUTS – "Take Me Back", "All Or Nothing", "Rest Of My Life", "Kiss My Converse" from ''Eternal'' (2016) * The Other Guys – "Friends Old & New" from ''Life In Analog'' (2016) * [[Danny!]] - "Even Louder" (feat. [[Swizz Beatz]]) from [[Payback_(album)|''Payback (album)'']] (2017)

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website|tanyamorgan.net}} * {{AllMusic|id=mn0000542651|label=Tanya Morgan}} * {{Discogs artist|Tanya Morgan|Tanya Morgan}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanya Morgan}} [[Category:Musical groups established in 2003]] [[Category:American hip-hop groups]]