Nokio the N-Tity

"Nokio" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Nokia.
Nokio
Birth name Tamir Mateen Raheem Hameed Ruffin
Born (1979-01-21) January 21, 1979
Origin Baltimore, Maryland U.S.
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, Dancer, and record producer
Instruments Singing, piano, guitar
Years active 1995–present
Labels Dru Hill, LLC/Kedar Entertainment, Murder Inc.
Associated acts Dru Hill

Nokio the N-Tity (born Tamir Mateen Raheem Hameed Ruffin, January 21, 1979, Baltimore, Maryland) is an African-American record producer, songwriter, Dancer, singer, and rapper. He is best known as the founder of the successful R&B group Dru Hill, serving as in-house producer and songwriter for the act.

Career

His bandmates are Larry "Jazz" Anthony, Mark "Sisqó" Andrews, and the recently added Antwuan "Tao" Simpson. Former members are James "Woody Rock" Green who left the group for the second time. and Rufus "Scola" Waller who became a solo artist again . The stage name "Nokio" is an acronym for "Nasty On Keys In Octave".

Nokio has also served as producer for DMX ("What These Bitches Want", 1999), Capone-N-Noreaga ("Y'all Don't Wanna", 2000), Kurupt ("We Can Freak it (Out)" - East Coast Remix, 1998), and Torrey Carter (The Life I Live, 2000). He was an A&R director for the Def Soul record label, and helped to discover and develop acts such as the teenage R&B/pop group 3rd Storee. Nokio currently works for Atlantic Records as an A&R for R&B singer Trey Songz.

In early 2008, the original quartet version of Dru Hill began touring alongside fellow 1990s R&B acts Tony! Toni! Toné!, Bell Biv Devoe, and their former producer Keith Sweat. On March 6, the group appeared on WERQ, a Baltimore radio station, to promote their reunion. In the midst of their interview, however, Woody announced he was quitting the group again to dedicate himself to his gospel ministry. A YouTube video shows Sisqó walking out on the interview as a result, and Woody, Nokio, and Jazz fighting, although the authenticity of the conflict has been called into question. Nokio is also working with a rock band called Black Angel Down. Snippets of some of Black Angel Down's songs were put on Dru Hill's fourth album InDRUpendence Day.[1][2]

Personal life

Nokio has a son, Jordan Ruffin, with Margo Wainwright, the head of video production at Island Def Jam. He was in a relationship with radio personality Angie Martinez, with whom he has a second son, Niko Ruffin. Jordan was featured in the Dru Hill music video I Love You.[3]

Discography

with Dru Hill

References

  1. Dru Hill Reunites and Breaks Up On Air | Hip Hop News > HipHopDX.com
  2. Make Up To Break Up | Crunk + Disorderly || We Can'T
  3. http://www.lipstickalley.com/f15/jay-z-angie-martinez-112750/

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, February 27, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.