Cameroonian rap artist Jovi releases debut LP, Humanity Is Vanishing (H.I.V)

Ndukong Godlove Nfor aka JOVI, is a prolific emerging rap artist from Cameroon whose versatility and immense talent has been gaining worldwide attention with even Akon’s US based Konvict Records label getting hooked on his style. The music history in Cameroon is about to be re-written and JOVI is the perpetrator and at the centre of it all.  The much talked about rap star has just made a landing; a big landing to be felt not just in Cameroon but eventually within Africa and far beyond in the release of his much awaited debut LP. Humanity Is Vanishing or H.I.V is a classic debut LP somewhat autobiographical but also a masterpiece for our listening pleasure, hinting at mankind’s evolution from a natural state to a rather dysfunctional and artificial lifestyle. The LP has been carefully produced with a pain staking emphasis on the background materials of each and every track. From JOVI’s melodic and catchy simple rap style to his signature bell sounds as a producer under his sobriquet Le Monstre; the traditional gong sounds from the grassfields area of West/North West regions of Cameroon heard in tracks such as “Achombo House” featuring Krotal (another legend within the Cameroon hip hop scene) add a soothing yet rhythmic element to the album as a whole. From the very first track “Don 4 Kwat”, the scene is set for us the audience to expect more from this LP and its artist and he sure does not fail to deliver. JOVI introduces himself as the “don” and a don he is. A similarity with Che Guevara seen on the album cover art portrays JOVI as being the revolutionary figure at the helm of this new style outcry which is about to completely change the face of music production and artist management in Cameroon. From track to track thereafter we are led through a beautiful musical journey where the production quality speaks for itself, where the old and the new sit side by side effortlessly interfaced especially in tracks such as “Pitié” featuring Rochereau Tabu Ley and “Bush Faller” featuring Eko Roosevelt, Cameroonian pidgin, English and even French are magically juxtaposed and married together to create musical orgasms in the listener in tracks including “Man Pass Man” “Lapiro” “Nothing to Something” “You Never Know”. The LP also draws us to the everyday lifestyle in Cameroon with references to the expectation the women place on their men to how the young men hustle to get by and street slang references “…a di lop, a di jong, a di vamouse, a bi di bolo, wepe, peter, etc” added to everyday Cameroonian products such as “Mambo”, “Cerelac”, makes this album a celebration of the beautiful and the ugly in Cameroon. The album also introduces us to the MuMaK family with collaboration from label mates Elad, Magasco, Rachel, Will Kan, DeeCey and gospel singing artist Renise whose vocals gives us a pleasant end to track 13. H.I.V is an LP designed to not only draw in the younger crowds but also create awareness amongst the older music lovers. JOVI is a new star right out of Mabanda, Bonaberi (in Douala, Cameroon) with a bright future ahead. With a debut LP like this, it is evident that JOVI and his team are capable of a lot more. H.I.V is available to buy if you are in the US on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/h.i.v/id547296597 and Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=Jovi+H.I.V as well as Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=JOVI-H.I.V.  The LP will be available on Spinlet for Android mobiles as well as other online music outlets soon. Warning: Parental advisory, explicit lyrics!  ]]>