TINO is a product of Ohio. Born and raised in Cleveland he moved to Dayton for college and picked up the mic. TINO is a wordsmith who blends witty wordplay, storytelling and dropping knowledge with a high energy delivery that utilizes a myriad of rhyme schemes and unique flows over production ranging from golden era boom bap to trap mixed with soul samples and electronica.
Catch TINO this Saturday on CincyMusic LIVE for the Overcast Hip Hop Festival at 6:10p! We were elated to catch up with TINO prior to the festival this weekend!
Give us some background on TINO...I never meant to be a rapper. I was dealing with a lot in life that I didn't want to voice out loud and was listening to a lot of hip hop at the time. One day the feelings I was dealing with came out on the page and was like therapy.
When did you decide that music was your calling?
When I started playing shows and people started coming to them that I had no personal relationship with I knew we were on to something.
What can fans expect at a Live performance?
I give my everything. It's rarely ever perfect, but it is always what it needs to be.
How has the past 6ish months been for you musically?
This is the longest I've gone without performing live in the last decade. Not having to focus on my next show or where the artists/bands I support are playing next has left me with so much time to create. I hate the circumstances that brought this period about, but it has been a needed chance to unplug for me and get back to listening to that voice that started writing these rhymes in the first place.
What is next for TINO?
I'm working on a joint venture with MOIRA from Dayton who lived in Cincy for a bit. I will also be putting out an EP with my band Sidekick Complex. I have an entire album recorded and in the wings for when he can all be at shows again and a few more surprises I'll keep hush for now.
