Nhojj: Diversity Creates Beauty

Feature: Nhojj

By Aaris A. Schroeder
Editor-In-Chief
April 23, 2007

With a lot of heart, soul and a light reggae touch, Nhojj, currently bases his musical home in New York, NY yet has been brought up from the island of first Guyana and then Trinidad & Tobago where his musical up bringing has roots in gospel, R&B, reggae, funk, jazz, spoken word and rock music.

“I moved to Trinidad and Tobago along with my parents, I was 14-years-old. Beautiful people, beaches, sun, carnival, the music – just a fun place to exist in,” says Nhojj.

Nhojj had the honor of performing for the president of Guyana [where his parents reside] and the president of Trinidad and Tobago.

Coming out as a homosexual in his late 20s, Nhojj says that his mother still has a difficult time “reconciling her faith and her love for her family.”

“I had internalized all of society’s homophobia and it took many years of therapy and soul searching and the support of my friends to begin to erase all of the negativity and confusion and replace it with humanity and understanding,” says Nhojj who believes that humans are created for a specific reason and that the best thing we can do here on planet earth is to be truthful and honest with ourselves and the people around us.

Debuting in ’01, Nhojj’s first album, “I’ve Been Waiting for You,” is portrayed as an emotional diary; he says where he finds his own entity through self-love using poetry and soft soul and R&B notes. Nhojj was featured at the International Fringe Festival for the award winning play, “The Making of the Black Man.”

“It’s poetic and moody and emotional and it soars and from the e-mails I get – fans either love it for its emotional honesty and soaring vocals or they just don’t get it at all,” says Nhojj about his first album.

“Peace, Love & Freedom,” Nhojj’s second success, has offered him a nominee position for Outstanding Male Recording Artist and Best Male Performance for the Fresh Fruit Festival, in NY, ’03. Nhojj also performed more recently at the April ’07 Fresh Fruit Festival.

“When incredible things like this happen, it encourages me to continue pressing on and growing and doing what comes naturally,” says Nhojj.

Nhojj’s voice sounds melodic and emotional with his soft whispers and soothing sounds running through the backgrounds of each of his songs. Each song on the album, “Peace, Love & Freedom,” pulls a little bit of a reggae edge with soft yet pungent drum-beat and island-type guitar flicks and strums, such like on song entitled, “The Beggar’s Cup.”

“We’re all rich/We’re all poor/What’s important is to find out what you’re begging for,” croons Nhojj.

“Beggar’s Cup” is the sweet story that is brought to light when we realize that the beggar doesn’t want coins in his cup but drops of love.

As soothing as this album is, music lovers will dig this album due to the island flair, honesty of the strong, intelligent political and religious lyrics that has driven Nhojj to the success he now has.

“It’s a reggae, acoustic, jazzy blend. The rhythms are more familiar and the topics are political, social commentary, personal observation[s],” says Nhojj.

Nhojj has successfully completed an outstanding 10-city college mini-tour for this album and created an unplugged DVD entitled, “An Intimate Evening with Nhojj,” with Emmy nominated director Bill Cote. Nhojj also opened for Def Jam poet Stacey Chin, Motown Recording Artist Donnie and has appeared performing at Gay Pride Festivals in NY, Connecticut, Maryland, Washington DC, and New Jersey. Nhojj performed at smaller venues such as CBGB Gallery, Joe’s Pub, Nuyorican Poet’s Café and Hiroshima-Nagasaki Commemoration Service.

Also performing at several 911 charitable concert events and at the Powel Street Addiction Center, Nhojj gives back to his community. He assisted in the co-production of “Underground to Peace and Unity Concert” and was heard on National Public Radio across the USA including college, internet and mainstream stations.

As busy as Nhojj gets with all the good he produces from his music, he was able to complete two last things in ’03 by collaborating with Blackout Arts Founder Bryonn Bain with a musical project and taking a role in a tribute to the late Arista Recording Artist, Jermaine Stewart, according to his biography.

In ’05, Nhojj not only released his album, “Coming Home” but under his birth name, John Martinborough. This album is more gospel-orientated with flickers of church hymn-sounding songs, religious anthems relaxed with a soulful sound.

“My third album consists of the hymns I grew up listening to. I’m a deeply emotional person and the most common responses I read are, ‘I was moved,’ ‘beautiful,’ ‘made me cry’ or ‘sent chills down my spine.’ Comments like those really make me happy, ‘cause when I record, I’m not so much interested in being the most technically precise singer – but I work very hard touching emotional points,” according to Nhojj.

Raised in church by his mother and father who is a Seventh Day Adventist minister in Guyana and being able to “run wild,” he says until the age of seven where he then was enrolled in elementary school, Nhojj wanted to pay tribute to his past by showing how it has influenced his music. “Coming Home” features producer Sam Archer who produced “The Barbershop” soundtrack and B2K, Courtney Fadlin, infamous gospel-recording saxophonist; former singing partner Timothy Anderson and childhood idol Lester Roach and April Roach, childhood friend performing strings on the album.

This album took Nhojj touring all over the US and other countries such as England, Canada, Jamaica, Bahamas, Trinidad and Guyana. Honorable mentions goes to, “A Song for Mother,” on this album.

The last two years, Nhojj has been mastering guitar by his teacher, Marcelo who is featured on two of his albums and has been on MySpace meeting new fans and friends. Nhojj has made well over 7500 friends in the last few months and has had nearly 40,000 song hits. He has also made it to #4 on the Ambient New York Chart, #9 on the New York Jazz Chart and #10 on the New York Soul Chart.

“I want to continue creating and recording meaningful and honest music. I’d love to hear my music in films and of course touring,” says Nhojj who hopes to tour Asia and Africa as well as more of Europe.

He has also began working on his fourth album, “In the Life,” which will entail the life of a black, same gender-loving man and the triumphs and struggles that entails. Nhojj recently started a website with friend, Anton Nimblett entitled, http://www.samegenderlove.com. The website features artist footage and editorial pieces by professional writers about being a woman or man of color identifying with LGBT.

Currently working with Lifebeat Hearts and the Voices Programs which provide positive, uplifting concerts to individuals living with AIDS/HIV, Nhojj keeps busy and lives an outgoing lifestyle.

“So this has been a good year,” finalizes Nhojj.

Nhojj hopes to start his own charities in the dirction of HIV/AIDS, especially with people of African decent because of the higher rates of viral infection. He also feels deeply about hate crimes to LGBT people and how to change that through teaching people tolerance.