Jovi (musician)

Ndukong Godlove Nfor (born 24 October 1983), known by his stage name Jovi, is a Cameroonian rapper, songwriter, sound engineer, entrepreneur, and record producer (under his producer pseudonym Le Monstre). 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.” 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 airplays on Trace Urban 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. 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. 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." In 2015, Jovi was nominated for an MTV Africa Music Award (MAMA) for Best Francophone artist. On 20 May 2015 Jovi released his sophomore album, Mboko God, which was nominated for a 2016 Kora Award for Best Album. 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," and "One of the 10 African Rappers You Should Definitely Know.