Jovi
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). 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 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. 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 May 20, 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.”
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,” which Akon released as a video on January 26, 2016. Jovi is regularly featured in the online music magazine OkayAfrica.On February 29, 2016, Jovi was featured in an interview with The Fader, which featured the world-premiere of his single “Bad Influence.” 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.”
