Tino

He is Marcus Garvey, Malcolm, Martin and Barack, all in one wop, the rebirth of Hip Hop. Wit a little bit of Pac, Nas, Kweli and Face, likes to party like B.I.G. back in the day. A rider; a writer; and a scholar. The new age Huey representing brown luv and black pride. Tino is a 80’s baby born half Hispanic and half African American, and raised in the inner-city of Des Moines, Iowa.

His father was murdered when Tino was a toddler. His mother was a dj at a local Top 40 radio station. She schooled him on all genres of music and music appreciation at a young age. He would listen as she would spend countless hours spinning vinyl ranging from Motown to Jimmy Hendrix to Run DMC. At 9 years old she entered Tino in his first rap contest. The emphasis was on positivity. He won and caught the “bug.” He would go on to win various city and statewide competitions as a child prodigy in the 80’s. He wowed crowds at community functions and schools metro wide.

He continued to spread his positive messages through poetry he published while still in elementary school. Tino was 12 years old when he recorded the song “No Excuse” detailing the gruesome police beating of a family member and friend. The song received major support at the local Hip Hop/ R&B station, KUCB 89.3. His radio fame made him a local celebrity and Young Tino was asked to host two cable television network programs, a local talent showcase and a young peoples forum. Tino is a rapper who focuses on music with a positve message.

He wants to influnce the “young knuckle heads” in a positive way like his mother did for him. He continues to rock shows across the state. He’s inspired as he traces the steps of Barak Obama during his historical presidential campaign through Iowa. With his DMI swag he’s guaranteed to be the next to make history in Iowa. He delivers a sound that is heart felt because it comes from the heart. Des Moines, Iowa (D.M.I.). D.M.I. now stands for Dirty Money Island and Tino has a story that anybody who has had to struggle to prove. themselves can relate to.

He’s from a small city with a Napoleon complex forced to deal with big city issues. The voice is unmistakable. The style is undeniable. The message is: “If death is certain, then life is about PERSERVERANCE…PARTY…and PAPER!”

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