Music goes through many ups and downs... Moments when artists are inspiring and innovative and ​moments when the industry is creatively stagnant. NIKO IS one of those musicians that restores your faith in the artistry of music. In an age where everyone is 'trying' to be different; Niko isn't trying at all, he just IS.

Nikolai Paiva (NIKO IS) was born in Rio de Janeiro and moved to Florida with his mother at the age of 7 in pursuit of a better life. He started pursuing a serious music career early while in high school in Orlando, linking up with local producer Thanks Joey and releasing a number of popular mixtapes and singles. In school, Niko would draw crowds by breaking out into spontaneous freestyles. Niko put music above school and would even go to the extent of intentionally receiving detentions so he could sit and write rhymes for hours. Upon returning to Florida from a brief stint in LA, he focused on branding his solo career as NIKO IS. He dropped four indepenedent solo releases in 2012, recieving significant regional buzz and giving him recognition as one of the hardest workers in the scene.

NIKO IS: 'Chill Cosby', was his first widely circulated project and featured the single, 'Steffi Graf', a collaboration with Action Bronson. The record gained considerable recognition and propelled Niko further into hip-hop’s arena, gaining him more notable co-signs from the likes of Southern Smoke and Vibe Magazine. In March 2014, NIKO IS inked a deal with hip-hop pioneer Talib Kweli’s Javotti Media after collaborating on a record with the hip-hop veteran the previous year. Niko has been continuously featured on popular  websites and publications such as Spin Magazine, The Source, HipHopDX, 2 DopeBoyz, Complex Music, DJBooth, Okay Player, Vibe Magazine and many more. Niko has performed at shows for Big Sean, Action Bronson, Joe Budden, Smoke DZA, Blu, Casey Veggies, Kweli, The Wailers, Mobb Deep and others. The energetic performer has performed alongside Talib Kweli and solo at SXSW, A3C Closing Show, The Kennedy Theater in DC, Echoplex in LA, Blue Note and SOBs in NYC, and many more notable venues. Throughout November and into December, NIKO IS and Talib Kweli embarked on an International tour. Playing at the Legalize Festival in Chile and in numerous countries across Europe including Germany, UK, Switzerland, Norway, Portugal, Denmark and more. The video for 'Floss Remix' featuring Talib Kweli was filmed during the duration of the tour. 

The name, NIKO IS, is a conceptual idiom symbolizing the many personas and identities one experiences and is reflected through his albums. The name stems from Niko's belief that a rapper shouldn't limit himself and his fans to one identity, he must be in constant evolution. The ambitious wordsmith has managed to create a distinctive sound and style that has gained him recognition as a notable songwriter, witty lyricist, visionary and one of the best new freestylers in the game. His latest project Brutus picks up where him and Thanks Joey left off on Brutus with the same underlying formula of lush Brazilian samples paired with carefully crafted lyricism and cadence, making for tropically vibrant aesthetic. The album is entirely produced by Thanks Joey. Features on the album include Cyhi The Prynce, Kool AD and Talib Kweli. Brutus will be distributed by Fat Beats/Javotti Media digitally through iTunes and also available in hardcopy or vynl.