Nathan Joseph Mendes (born 2 June 2001), known professionally as Tsumyoki (or simply 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 Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...

rapper, Kidd Mange and "Pink Blue" (2022), featuring Bharg. According to Tsumyoki, his stage name alludes to ideas of "vision, productivity and a positive mindset". Tsumyoki is one of the leading artists from

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

and is credited for revolutionizing the English genre of

Hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

in the Indian coastal state of Goa. He is the first

music artist and the youngest member at age 19, to be signed by

DIVINE Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

's record label, Gully Gang Records in 2021. He was also featured in ''Goan Insiders 50 Most Influential People of 2021 and has been described by ''ItsGoa'' magazine as Goa's best rapper.

Early life

Nathan Joseph Mendes was born on 2 June 2001 in

Margao, Goa Margao (, ) is the commercial capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Goa. It stands on the banks of the river Sal River (India), Sal. It is the district headquarters of South Goa district, South Goa, and administr ...

to Gianna Alba Araujo Soares Mendes and Sanjeev Peter Mendes. He has an elder sister, Sneha (born 1998). His maternal grandfather, Joe, was also a musician, who died in 2018. Tsumyoki completed his

Higher Secondary School Certificate Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC), Higher Secondary School Certificate, Higher Secondary Education Certificate (HSEC) or Intermediate Examination is a secondary education qualification in Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. It is equivalent to the f ...

(HSSC) from The King's School. He later graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from St. Xavier's College, Mapusa.

Career

2018–2019: Early career

Tsumyoki started his career in music in his late teenage years, beginning at age 17. His primary aim was to explore various music genres beyond just rap. He credits his mother and family for supporting him throughout his musical career and considers artists like

XXXTentacion Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion gai ...

Juice WRLD Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He emerged as a leading figure in the emo rap ...

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His music blends various genres including hip-hop, Pop music, pop, Contemporary R&B, R&B, Tra ...

, Ski Mask the Slump God and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

as his role models. During an interview, Tsumyoki shared how he commenced his career with , struggling to afford essential technical equipment. He had to depend on his mother as he needed more money to start his musical career with proper equipment. He then performed for her to convince her to pay for his equipment. Tsumyoki first began pursuing music as a hobby in 11th grade. He discusses the difficulties he encountered when trying to establish himself in the rap scene, recounting instances of waiting outside clubs with a

USB flash drive A flash drive (also thumb drive, memory stick, and pen drive/pendrive) is a data storage device that includes flash memory with an integrated USB interface. A typical USB drive is removable, rewritable, and smaller than an optical disc, and u ...

containing his music in the hopes of catching the attention of popular artists. In addition, he notes the lack of widespread backing for indigenous musicians in

who crafted their own music, requiring him to work towards gaining visibility.

2019–present: Rise to success

Tsumyoki's breakthrough came from his single track release, "White Tee" in 2019. The idea behind the track was a

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved/bent back or has a deeply grooved indentation, which serves to grab, latch or in any way attach itself onto another object. The hook's d ...

, "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, featuring participation from several of his supporters. Tsumyoki 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, Tsumyoki scheduled the release of the music video for "''Save Me''" but the project was subsequently postponed. He claims that his stage name "Tsumyoki" was inspired after "waking up on a regular day and looking at himself in the mirror". The Japanese influence was intentional. In the beginning, he harbored reservations about incorporating his stage name but gradually embraced it more as his fame grew. Tsumyoki's music is influenced by

American culture The culture of the United States encompasses various social behaviors, institutions, and Social norm, norms, including forms of Languages of the United States, speech, American literature, literature, Music of the United States, music, Visual a ...

and he attempts to bring forth more elements of

Indian culture Indian culture is the heritage of social norms and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse nation of India, pertaining to the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and the Republic of India post-1947. ...

in his work. At age 18, Tsumyoki started performing at clubs and judged several college events. One of his first two gigs was with DJ Skeletron. Tsumyoki and the latter collaborated in the single track ''"''Go Hard''"'' which was released on 4 August 2019, following the release of "Go Hard''"'', 'Showbar', a

gastropub A gastropub or gastro pub is a pub that serves food of high quality, with a nearly equal emphasis on eating and drinking. The term was coined in the 1990s in the United Kingdom. History The term ''gastropub'' (derived from gastronomy) was coi ...

in Candolim offered him his first show. In November 2020, Tsumyoki produced "Ketta" referring to an "action of ditching or avoiding someone", a single track by Carisio Azavedo mononymously known as Bongisio, a Merces based music artist which was

mastered Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source from which all copies will be ...

and recorded by 2jaym. Before Tsumyoki embarked on his music career, he lacked any

rappers to serve as influences since there were no popular artists in that category during that period. He has collaborated with local music artists, producers and influencers like JD, 2Jaym, Elttwo, ZaDaRapper and ZB Memes. On 4 September 2021, Tsumyoki released his 15-minute maiden EP, "''Way Too Messy''", it included five tracks with themes of

cancel culture Cancel culture is a cultural phenomenon in which an individual thought to have acted or spoken in an unacceptable manner is ostracized, boycotted, shunned or fired, often aided by social media. This shunning may extend to social or professio ...

, 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. The decision to produce the EP was made at that juncture, and it was well-received by the Gully Gang team. Within two days, three songs were finalized, and the remaining two were subsequently incorporated. Tsumyoki participated in the 2021 Goa Rap Cypher, where he played a role in both production and performance. Together with nine local artists, they used this platform to raise awareness about significant challenges such as the Mollem situation affecting the region of

Goa Trap Culture

Tsumyoki is one of the founding members of the

boy band A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...

known as Goa Trap Culture (GTC) or the GTC crew. As of February 2021, the band includes local

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 The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

, hip- hop, rap, and

trap music Trap music, also known simply as trap, is a subgenre of hip-hop music which originated in the Southern United States, with lyrical references to trap starting in 1991 but the modern sound of trap appearing in 1999. The genre gets its name from t ...

. The album also features guest artists including Vash and Yelhomie, and production from CapsCtrl on some of the beats. Some of the popular tracks from the album were "Jackets" and "Flex Bomb" which were particularly favored by the GTC crew. These tracks showcased the influence of diverse music genres such as pop/

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

and rap/hip- hop. In an interview with ''Goan Insider'', the crew expressed that the album's title was derived from the camaraderie that united them. 'Daboij' simply means 'The Boys'. The initial work on the album began before the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and took about a year to complete. The band also mentioned that

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been cited as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s. Tyler beca ...

, MF Doom, Anson Seabra, J. Cole,

Juice Wrld Jarad Anthony Higgins (December 2, 1998 – December 8, 2019), known professionally as Juice Wrld (pronounced "juice world"; stylized as Juice WRLD), was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He emerged as a leading figure in the emo rap ...

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and Nucleya were some of their inspirations for each of their tracks. Nucleya advised them on their vocal approach. One of the singles featured on the album, "Sorpotel", is a

reinterpretation Musical phrasing is the method by which a musician shapes a sequence of notes in a passage of music to allow expression, much like when speaking English a phrase may be written identically but may be spoken differently, and is named for the in ...

with Goan influences. It was originally composed by Tsumyoki's grandfather, Joe, who died in 2018 without receiving credit for his work. As of 2021, the GTC crew plans to collaborate with

Oliver Tree Oliver Tree Nickell (born June 29, 1993) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and filmmaker. Born in Santa Cruz, California, Tree signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 after his song "When I'm Down" went viral and released his debut st ...

, Ritviz, and

Divine Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a singl ...

in the near future.

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles and collaborations

Awards and nominations

Tours

* A Message from the Moon Tour (2023)

Notes

References

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