T-Wayne – born Tyshon Dwayne Nobles in Abilene, Texas on October 27, 1990 – is a hip hop / rap artist best known for his 2015 single “Nasty Freestyle.” Since 2017, to avoid confusion with the T-Pain and Lil Wayne mixtape entitled T-Wayne, he has occasionally used the pseudonym, Rickey Wayne. Growing up in Abilene, Texas, he was inspired to pursue a rap career after viewing Eminem’s 2002 movie 8 Mile. He moved to Dallas, Texas when he was 15 and became serious about his music career, recording a distributing his own mixtapes and performing at hip hop showcases. Moving to Houston in 2009, he began to reach a wider audience with mixtapes including Trending Topic (2011). Briefly associated with Waka Flocka Flame’s Black Squad label, T-Wayne’s popularity grew as he focused on posting his music on various social media platforms. He finally achieved massive success in 2015 when his song “Nasty Freestyle” became a social media sensation. The song’s popularity pushed it to the upper regions of the charts, hitting number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charting in several countries including the UK, Germany, Australia, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, and Denmark. That year, he also released the Who is Rickey Wayne? and Who is Rickey Wayne 2 mixtapes. The overwhelming response to the “Nasty Freestyle” single brought him to the attention of labels and he signed with 300 Entertainment. However, subsequent singles – including “Swing My Arms” (2016), “Be OK” (2016), and “Fell in Love” (2017) – didn’t match the success of “Nasty Freestyle.” Further albums / mixtapes included Forever Rickey (2017) and Free Agent (2020).
