Jovi is an artist, sound engineer, and producer from Cameroon. Born and raised in Douala in 1983, Jovi gained national attention when he releastimthumbed his hit video “Don 4 Kwat” in 2012. With origins in the North West province, Jovi is the first rap artist in Cameroon to rap in Pidgin English. He has broken linguistic and cultural barriers and gained a huge following with both English and French speaking youth by fusing Pidgin English, French, and English in his music. Jovi’s witty punch lines and social commentary highlight his creative artistic ability. In 2012, Jovi released his debut album, H.I.V (Humanity is Vanishing), to wide acclaim across Cameroon. H.I.V features genre-breaking African hip hop by blending original beats and sampling with traditionalAfrican instruments and rhythms and contemporary hip hop, RnB, and electronic genres. In 2013, Jovi released Kankwe Vol. 1, a five-song self-produced EP under his record label New Bell Music. In 2015, he released a follow-up EP, Kankwe Vol. 2.
In May, 2015, Jovi released his highly anticipated second full-length album, Mboko God. His sophomore album, Mboko God, was nominated for Best Album for the 2016 Kora Awards. Transcending cultural, linguistic, and geographical boundaries, Mboko God is a multi-layered album that effortlessly fuses Cameroonian rhythms, languages, and harmonies with musical influences from regions throughout the Africa. From the very first song, the beautiful “Mboko God – Positioning”, with Ngemba and Nliimbom dialects deep with meaning and finished with an epic, unexpected trap flow by Jovi, it’s clear that the album is bringing forth a new genre of hip hop. Jovi released his third EP Raps 2 Riches on October 24, 2015, and his fourth EP Puta Madre December 31, 2015.
Under his producer pseudonym, “Le Monstre”, he has composed and produced six EPs for artists under New Bell Music, Reniss’  African Luv (2013) and follow-up EP Milkish (2015); Tilla’s Kankwe Chap EP (2015); a compilation EP, Lord Have Mercy (2015); Shey’s Tapsï (2015); and Pascal’s Work No Dey (2015). He has also written and produced for many other artists across the country and internationally, such as Akon, who released his video “Shine the Light” in January 2016. Jovi was named by Trace TV as one of “The 15 Artists to Follow for 2015” and he was on the list “1o African Rappers You Should Absolutely Know.” On February 29, 2016, Jovi was interviewed by The Fader, the New York-based music magazine, which also featured the world premiere of his new song “Bad Influence.”
Jovi has a degree in Economics from Yaoundé II SOA University and a Diploma in Sound Engineering from SAE Sound Engineering School in Bangalore, India. Jovi’s latest videos, “Zélé” (2015), “Big Vulture” (2015), and “Et P8 Koi” (2014), have been in heavy rotation on Trace Urban throughout Africa and Europe. His video “CASH” (2014) was also featured on MTV Base. His music has been featured on the BBC, Jeune Afrique, The Guardian, okayafrica.com, miabaga.com, jewanda-magazine.com, notjustokay.com, and more. Jovi’s previous videos “Don 4 Kwat” (2011), “Pitié” (2012), “Bush Faller” (2013), and “B.A.S.T.A.R.D” (2014), have been shown on Trace Urban. Listen to Jovi’s Mboko God here!
Awards!!!!!
• CAMEEA 2015 Male Artist of the Year
• CAMEEA 2015 Producer of the Year
• Urban Jamz Awards 2016 -Best Album