[ST. LOUIS, MO – MAY 19TH, 2023] St. Louis rapper Nando STL released his debut project Y.O.T.A or ‘Year of the Ape’ today via Nappy Boy Entertainment. The 10-track body of work, almost entirely produced by PDUB (Da Baby, Tory Lanez, John Legend, Kirk Franklin), features guest appearances by Nappy Boy label-head T-Pain, STL legend Nelly + more, and was mastered by Darwin at Chicago’s Classik Studios. Recently released singles “Weakdays”, “Loud” and the title track “Y.O.T.A” featuring T-Pain and Young Cash, are all found on the release. ‘Y.O.T.A’ is available everywhere now.

In time for mental health awareness month, the soul-felt project highlights themes of mental health. With lyrics like “Imma throw a smile on and crack jokes all the way home, and then I’ll tuck my kids in and go and cry alone…,” on tracks like “Weakdays,” Nando shares thought-filled, internal commentary on his struggle with depression while faking happiness as he navigates life’s challenges.

Alongside his new music, Nando has been on tour with T-Pain, supporting select dates across his nationwide run, with additional ongoing (unannounced) dates through mid-July.

With Y.O.T.A., Nando is cementing his spot among hip-hop’s new regime of newcomers.“This year I wanted to do something totally different than what I’ve ever done as an artist,” said NandoSTL. With his new label home and forthcoming body of work, Nando STL is poised to be a 2023 ‘Artist To Watch’.

St. Louis upstart NandoSTL arrived swinging for the fences. Since his 2018 debut EP Good Vibes, Nando has consistently delivered a steady stream of both authentic and poignant cuts—punctuated with an unmistakably soulful style that makes him a very necessary MVP on T-Pain’s Nappy Boy Entertainment team. His upcoming project Y.O.T.A. (Year Of The Ape) builds upon the mission he embarked on five years ago, only elevated and more focused. It’s Nando’s year, indeed.

Raised by his grandparents and his dad, his love affair with music started early. At two years old, he traveled to Chicago to see his dad’s family, and the experience was life-changing. “They owned an African drum company, where they taught African dance and drums,” he says. “And the first time I went there, I attended one of the classes and was like beating on African drums and never stopped beating on stuff since then. They bought me a drum set when I got back, so I stopped beating on tables.” The bulk of his childhood, however, was spent in the church. Over the years, he became active in the music program at church, and still plays as a church musician to this day. While he was surrounded by church music, his non-secular inspirations included fellow STL native Nelly, along with Wyclef Jean and Cee-Lo Green, as Nando’s influences meet at the intersection of Rap and Soul.

While working in corporate America post-grad, Nando found balance in pursuing music on the side as a form of therapy when his professional and personal life were in flux. It wasn’t until 2018 when he was full steam ahead, releasing his debut EP Good Vibes. He dropped a handful of singles over the next few years, including “Cool Lil Sunday” and the critically acclaimed“Outside” (which cracked the 70,000 mark in views on YouTube alone), building his buzz locally. 2020 was a monumental year for Nando. He won five awards at St. Louis’s Underground Music Awards, including Best New Artist and Artist of the Year with his follow-up EP Bamboo in tow. It was during that year that he assembled his team, with his Media Coordinator consistently hitting T-Pain over Twitch with Nando’s music. Eventually a track stuck, and when T-Pain held a competition for who would be the next signee to Nappy Boy, Nando was the victor amongst thousands of applicants. And the rest is history. The stage is now set for Y.O.T.A.