Tyrone "T Money" Kelsie Bio

Tyrone "T Money" Kelsie made his mark on the hip hop scene first as T Money -- one of the leading pioneers in rap music -- with the group Original Concept.

Music has always been a big part of T Money's life, from listening to his parents playing Barry White and Marvin Gaye to using their cabinet-style stereo to begin spinning records himself.  In high school, he formed a DJ crew with longtime friend Doctor Dré , and his stage presence as T Money was born as he made his way around the city deejaying at parties and clubs.  In college, T Money continued performing with his group the  Concept Crew and  deejaying for the legendary college radio station WBAU 90.3. When an injury cut short his college football career, he devoted himself fully to music, and he became one of the originators of  mainstream hip-hop.   

Concept Crew made a name for themselves on the party, club, and radio circuit, and before long their music was being broadcast on WBAU. In fact, WBAU became a platform for several icons of East Coast hip-hop, including Public Enemy, RUN-DMC, and T Money's own Concept Crew (later known as Original Concept), on the Def Jam Recordings label. 

In 1985, T Money, and Concept Crew released their famous promo "Knowledge Me" on WBAU radio. T wrote the lyrics, performed vocals and co-produced it with Doctor Dré and Eric McIntosh. Rick Ruben of Def Jam Recordings picked up on it and signed the group to the label. Soon after being signed, the group changed their name to Original Concept at the suggestion of Adam MCA Yauch of the Beastie Boys.

In 1988, Original Concept's debut album Straight From the Basement of Kooley High, was released by Def Jam. Their song "Pump That Bass" is one of the most recognized and most sampled hip-hop songs of all time.

After the release of the album, Original Concept began touring internationally with Queen Latifah (on her very first tour) and DJ Mark 45 King among others. T Money's success with the group led him to find fame hosting Yo! MTV Raps alongside Doctor Dré and Ed Lover. T began reading the show's fan mail as a character known as The Mailman, which became so popular that it spawned a slew of other characters, such as Uncle Bobo Lovetree, The Nubianator, Clarence Coldwater Capsule, and Michael Jackson at 40.

One of T's personal highlights from the show was an interview with Tupac Shakur, and the artist were to cross paths again. T Money added to his acting resumé with roles in movies Juice (1992) with Tupac and Who's the Man (1993).  Both movies featured a plethora of hip-hop greats.  T Money's IMDB page.

T Money deejayed on the hit gameshow Lip Service with host Jay Mohr from 1992 to 1993, and during T's run Lip Service won a Cable ACE award. From 1990 to 1995 he joined MTV Spring Break popular celebrity lineup.

Music is still T Money's main focus, and he has continued his career by pursuing different ventures in the music industry. In 1996, he graduated from New York Institute of Technology with a bachelor's degree in communications, and in 2010, he earned a professional certificate in marketing from NYU. T Money worked with Stevie J. of Bad Boy Entertainment  & Love & Hip Hop fame as part of his production team, working with high' profile artists such as LL Cool J, Heavy D., Boys II Men, and Mariah Carey. 

T Money has developed his own promotion, management, and marketing company -- T450 Style & Launch -- and shares his music and media experiences and know-how with a variety of clients, from music and media to products and services. T450 Style & Launch is an extension of T's hard work, passion, and long-established career in music and press.

Today T Money continues to pursue musical and press opportunities under his stage moniker and works closely with his clients from T450 Style & Launch, offering them hands-on advice and promotion. Interested in working with T Money? Please email T450 Style & Launch to discuss your marketing and promotional needs.