Biography of Tino Foy – Cameroonian rapper
Biography of Tino Foy – Cameroonian rapper : Born in Bamenda, Cameroon as Norbert Kah Foy, Tino had a regular childhood. At age three, his parents moved to Kumbo, a place which he credits for instilling the creative spirit in him. Book smart, adventurous and a nature lover, his ability with words was apparent by the time he was 4.
His earliest memories of music include Michael Jackson, Lucky Dube, Brenda Fassie, and Bob Marley. He started collecting music while in primary school, mainly recording off the radio to old cassette tapes. By the age of nine, he built amplifiers and speakers from parts he found in a dump yard in his neighborhood.
Tino attended secondary school at Sacred Heart College, Bamenda, where he was introduced to hip hop music for the first time. It was in high school that he started to write his first rhymes but never at the time thought of a career in music. There was however a lot of music in Sacred Heart College and even if you didn’t want to, you were part of it.
After High School, he attended The Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne Florida transferring after a year to The University of Tampa where he obtained a bachelor’s degree, with honors distinction, in Information Technology Management. While in the U.S, he discovered Kanye West who he credits for inspiring him to do music.
In 2011, Tino began to frequent multiple studios in Tampa. He recorded and released multiple remixes of some popular rap songs at the time. His remixes to Kanye West’s ‘Stronger’ and Whiz Khalifa’s ‘Young Wild and Free’ became popular amongst his school mates who encouraged him to take music seriously.
In 2014, Tino moved from the U.S back to Cameroon. At the time, the urban music scene in Cameroon had just gotten new life with the success of Jovi’s ‘Don 4 Kwat, and HIV album. On returning to Cameroon, he found his first home at STM records where he started learning how to produce music.
He initiated the STM Hangout, a show that was meant to provide a platform for up coming artists. The likes of Locko and Daphne would grace the STM Hangout stage before their rise to fame.
In 2016, Tino released his first single, ‘Genes’ a song which he produced in collaboration with Geega. The song would not garner appeal, but critics called it a breath of fresh air in the music industry. He followed up with two singles (‘Microphone Check’ and ‘Hold Up’) and then an EP ( Na So Craze Di Start).
In 2017, Tino took a break from music around the same time he started a blog, PoiseSocial which has become one of the most respected blogs in Cameroon for the quality of the content produced.
Between 2017 and 2022, Tino will go on to wear many caps in the entertainment industry and as an entrepreneur. Through his company arTchitect, he founded The Discovery Show – another platform for upcoming artists. He is also one of the brains behind oii, one of Cameroon’s fastest growing and innovative fashion brands.
Some will know him for his interior design work and others as a marketing and branding consultant. Tino does all his work under his company arTchitect which he describes as “an interactive media and design company.”
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