Tsumyoki

Nathan Joseph Mendes (born 2 June 2001) known professionally as Tsumyoki (pronounced sue-ma-yoki, or simply as Yoki), is an Indian rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He gained popularity from his single track release, "''White Tee''" (2019), "''Daboij''" album (2021), maiden EP release, "''Way Too Messy''" (2021), featuring fellow Goan rapper, Kidd Mange and "''Pink Blue''" (2022), featuring Bharg. His stage name defines "vision, productivity and a positive mindset".

Mendes is one of the leading artists from Goa and is credited for revolutionizing the English genre of Hip hop music in the Indian coastal state of Goa. He is the first Goan music artist and the youngest member at age 19, to be signed by DIVINE's record label, Gully Gang Records in 2021. He was also featured in Goan Insider’s 50 Most Influential People of 2021 and has been described by It'sGoa.com as Goa's best rapper.

Early life

Nathan Joseph Mendes was born on 2 June 2001 in Margao, Goa to Gianna Alba Araujo Soares Mendes and Sanjeev Peter Mendes. He has an elder sister, Sneha (b. 1998). His maternal grandfather, Joe, a musician died in September 2018. Mendes completed his Higher Secondary School Certificate from The King's School in Sao Jose de Areal. He later graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Xavier's College in Mapusa.

Career

2018–2019: Early beginnings

Mendes started his career as a musician during his late teens, at the age of 17, his initial goal was to diversify his genres, not only to focus on rap. He acknowledges his mother as a huge support, along with his family behind his music career and considers artists like XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD, Drake, Eminem, Post Malone, Ski Mask the Slump God and Michael Jackson as his role models. Mendes also recalls in an interview, of how he started his career with only and barely could afford technical instruments. He had to depend on his mother as he needed more money to kickstart his music journey with proper equipments, he then performed for her to which she was convinced.

Mendes first began pursuing music as a hobby in 11th grade. He mentions that breaking into the rap game wasn't easy, often waiting outside clubs while holding a USB of his tracks in order to get recognized by bigger artists. Furthermore, he states that few people supported local artists who produced original music from Goa, and he had to grind his way to gain recognition.

2019–present: Rise to success

Mendes's breakthrough came from his single track release, "''White Tee''" in 2019. The idea behind the track was a hook, "White Tee, Bish get off”, he always had in mind, to which he added the beats and tunes. The music video was mainly shot in Fatorda and other locations, participated by many of his followers. Mendes further stated in an interview that, "White Tee" signifies a mindset, for example if you're wearing something white, you ought to not get dirty. Similarly it means you don't need people's negativity affecting your perspective.

In October 2019, Mendes had plans on releasing the music video, "''Save Me''", which saw no light later. The origin of his stage name, "Tsumyoki" came, when he woke up on a regular day and looked himself in the mirror, it has a Japanese influence. Initially in the beginning of his career, Mendes was abashed about the stage name, it was only after gaining popularity he felt comfortable. He has also stated that he is immensely influenced by the American culture and is working on bringing out Indian culture as well in his music.

At age 18, Mendes started performing at clubs and has also judged several college events. One of his first two gigs was with DJ Skeletron. Mendes and the latter collaborated in the single track ''"Go Hard"'' which was released on 4 August 2019, following the success of "''Go Hard"'', 'Showbar', a gastropub in Candolim offered him his first show.

In November 2020, Mendes produced "''Ketta''" (), a single track by Carisio Azavedo mononymously known as Bongisio, a Merces based music artist which was mastered and recorded by 2jaym. Prior to his entry in the music field, he had no Goan rappers as an influence as there were no prominent artists back then. He has collaborated with music artists, producers and influencers like JD, 2Jaym, Elttwo, ZaDaRapper and ZB Memes.

On 4 September 2021, Mendes released his 15-minute maiden EP, "''Way Too Messy''", it included five tracks with themes of cancel culture, ambition and self discovery. The inspiration behind it was when he and Daniel Sequeira professionally known as Kidd Mange, were invited to the Gully Gang camp, wherein they were involved in making music. That's when they decided to make the EP which the Gully Gang team loved and finished three songs in two days and the remaining two were added later.

Mendes has also produced and performed in "Goa Rap Cypher" which featured nine local artists, wherein they voiced out on crises like the " Mollem situation", Goa is facing.

Goa Trap Culture

Mendes is one of the founding members of the boy band known as Goa Trap Culture (GTC) or the GTC crew. The band includes local Goan music artists Elttwo, 2jaym, and Kidd Mange. They are best known for their 2021 album 'Daboij', which features a mix of genres such as pop, rock, indie, R&B/soul, hip- hop, rap, and trap music. The album also features guest artists including Vash and Yelhomie, and production from CapsCtrl on some of the beats.

Some of the most popular tracks from the album were "''Jackets''" and "''Flex Bomb''" which were also personal favorites of the GTC crew. These tracks showcased the influence of diverse music genres such as pop/emotional and rap/hip- hop. In an interview with 'Goan Insider', the crew stated that the inspiration behind the album's name was the friendship they shared. 'Daboij' simply means 'The Boys'. The initial work on the album began before the COVID-19 pandemic and took about a year to complete.

The band also mentioned that XXXTentacion, Tyler, the Creator, MF Doom, Anson Seabra, J. Cole, Juice Wrld, Lauv and Nucleya were some of their inspirations for each of their tracks. Nucleya even advised them on their vocal approach. One of their singles from the album, 'Sorpotel', is a Goan-inspired remake that was written by Mendes's grandfather, who passed away in 2018 without receiving recognition for it. The GTC crew plans to collaborate with Oliver Tree, Ritviz, and Divine in the near future.

In the media

In October 2020, Mendes supported a peaceful protest of rape awareness at Ravindra Bhavan in Margao. The protest was started by a 15-year-old, Sheniah Menezes with the help of her parents and participated by over 50 people.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles and collaborations

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsumyoki
2001 births
Goan people
Living people
Indian rappers
Singers from Goa
People from Margao
Indian male singers
21st-century rappers
People from South Goa district
Indian hip hop musicians
21st-century Indian musicians
Indian audio engineers
Indian singer-songwriters
Indian male singer-songwriters
21st-century Indian male musicians