Jovi (musician)

Jovi (musician)

Jovi depicted on the cover of H.I.V (2012)
Background information
Birth name Ndukong Godlove Nfor
Also known as Le Monstre
Born (1983-10-24) October 24, 1983
Douala, Cameroon
Genres Cameroon hip hop, African hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, Songwriter, Performer, Sound Engineer, Entrepreneur, Record Producer
Years active 2012–present
Labels New Bell Music
Associated acts Tabu Ley Rochereau, Akon, Reniss

Ndukong Godlove Nfor (born 24 October 1983, in Douala), known by his stage name Jovi, is a Cameroonian rapper, songwriter, sound engineer, entrepreneur, and record producer (under his producer pseudonym Le Monstre).[1] Jovi graduated from the University of Yaoundé II (Soa), with a BA Hons in Economics and Business Management.

Jovi's debut album H.I.V (Humanity is Vanishing) was described by Kangsen Feka Wakai in Bakwa magazine as “the long awaited arrival of a self-assured emcee very conscious of his abilities, the vacuum in the genre, his audience’s expectations, and the right dose of hustle to assert his place.”[2]

Music career

Cameroon's music industry has remained conventional for a very long time with genres like, Makossa and Bikutsi dominating the musical scene. Jovi's first single "Don 4 Kwat", followed by "Pitié", featuring Congolese musician Tabu Ley Rochereau, released under Mumak record label, which he co-founded, is part of a new wave of musical content in Cameroon. “Don 4 Kwat” received heavy airplay on Trace TV and Channel O, his second single, “Pitié” featuring Tabu Ley Rochereau, stayed on the charts for months on pan-African BBC’s Destination Africa hosted by DJ Edu, staying in the top 5 at its peak.[3][4] In January 2013, Jovi left Mumak record label to launch New Bell Music, with Rachel Burks. Both Jovi and Rachel are signed to their label New Bell Music.

In September 2014, Jovi released his video "Cash" (Mets l'argent à terre) to wide acclaim across Cameroon.[5] In December 2014, Jovi released his video "Et P8 Koi," which became a hit across French-speaking West Africa, getting heavy rotation on Trace Urban, and debuting at No. 1 on Trace Urban's premiere episode of "Hip Hop 10 Made in Africa."[6] In 2015, Jovi was nominated for an MTV Africa Music Award (MAMA) for Best Francophone artist.[7] On May 20, 2015, Jovi released his sophomore album, Mboko God, which was nominated for a 2016 Kora Award for Best Album.[8] Jovi's music videos are played regularly on Trace Urban, and in 2015, Jovi was featured on Trace TV in "The 15 artists to follow in 2015,"[9] and "One of the 10 African Rappers You Should Definitely Know."[10]

Under his pseudonym Le Monstre, Jovi produces his records and is renowned for his compelling fusion of traditional hip hop and classic Cameroon/African sounds and instruments with new contemporary sounds. Instead of using the technique of traditional hip hop sampling, Jovi creates original samples in his music, since it is difficult for artists in Africa to clear copyrighted samples. Jovi's lyrics are in English, French, and the hybrid languages Pidgin and francanglais (a fusion of French, English and Pidgin-English lingo). Jovi also produces music for artists in New Bell Music as well as for international artists.

Jovi co-wrote and co-produced Akon's song "Shine the Light," [11] which Akon released as a video on January 26, 2016.[12] Jovi is regularly featured in the online African music magazine Okayafrica.[13] On February 29, 2016, Jovi was featured in an interview with The Fader, which featured the world-premiere of his single "Bad Influence."[14] In a Vibe magazine article published on June 28, 2016, author Natelege Whaley states Jovi is one of the African artists "flipping trap and taking it to new heights sonically."[15]

Discography

Albums

EPs

References

  1. ↑ "WanDiscovery : Jovi, Rappeur – Cameroun". Je Wanda Magazine. 2014-01-24. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  2. ↑ bakwamagazine. "[Music Review] A New Chapter in the Kamer (Cameroon) Hip-Hop Files…And there was Jovi Le Monstre: A Review of H.I.V (Humanity is Vanishing). | BAKWA". Bakwamagazine.com. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  3. ↑ "BBC Radio 1Xtra - DJ Edu - Destination Africa, Black History Month Xtra Talent Vinyl Special". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  4. ↑ "New Bell Music - Artist - Jovi". NewBellMusic.com. Retrieved 2014-06-08.
  5. ↑ "Watch Cameroonian Rapper Jovi's 'CA$H' Video | Okayafrica.". Okayafrica. 2014-09-15. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  6. ↑ "Jovi's Video Et P8 Koi Debuts No. 1 on Trace Urban's New Show Hip Hop 10 Made In Africa". New Bell Music. 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  7. ↑ "#MTVMAMA2015 Nominees Announced!". Mtv Africa Music Awards 2015. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  8. ↑ "NOMINEES : BEST ALBUM - KORA". KORA. 2015-12-21. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  9. ↑ "The 15 artists to follow for 2015 !". Trace TV. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  10. ↑ "10 rappeurs africains que vous devez absolument connaître". Trace TV. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  11. ↑ "Cameroonian MC & Producer Jovi On Composing Akon's Comeback Hit". Okayafrica. 2016-02-08. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  12. ↑ Akon (2016-01-26), AKON SHINE THE LIGHT, retrieved 2016-06-21
  13. ↑ "Jovi: 10 Things I Love About Cameroon". Okayafrica. 2016-04-28. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  14. ↑ "Meet Jovi, The Do-It-All Rapper Putting Cameroon Back On The Map". The FADER. Retrieved 2016-06-17.
  15. ↑ "ATL To The Motherland: The Rise of Afro-Trap". 2016-06-28. Retrieved 2016-07-15.
  16. ↑ "H.I.V". Bandcamp. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  17. ↑ http://newbellmusic.com/release/mboko-god/
  18. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Mboko God by Jovi". iTunes. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "Mboko God". Bandcamp. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "Mboko God [Explicit]". Amazon.com. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  21. ↑ http://newbellmusic.com/release/jovi-releases-new-ep-kankwe-vol-1/
  22. ↑ "Kankwe Vol. 1". Bandcamp. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  23. ↑ "Kankwe Vol. 2 EP (FR/EN)". New Bell Music. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  24. ↑ "Kankwe Vol. 2". Bandcamp. 20 March 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  25. ↑ "Raps 2 Riches - EP by Jovi on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  26. ↑ "Raps 2 Riches". New Bell Music. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  27. ↑ "Puta Madre EP". New Bell Music. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  28. ↑ "Puta Madre, by Jovi". Jovi. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  29. ↑ "Bad Music EP". New Bell Music. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
  30. ↑ "Bad Music, by Jovi". Jovi. Retrieved 2016-06-21.

External links

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