TROY NōKA

Grammy Award-winning Austinite TROY NõKA recently received the honor of being awarded his own day, just on the heels of the release of his acclaimed “Gotta Rep The Town 2.” March 23rd is now officially TROY NõKA Day by Proclamation of Austin Mayor Steve Adler. The awarding of the Proclamation was accompanied by a live performance by Troy before the City Council and the chance to say a few words.

Troy is no stranger to awards. His collaboration with Chris Brown for “Fame” won him a Grammy for Best R&B Album and he has also had the pleasure of working with the likes of Frank Ocean, Miguel and Ciara, amongst others. Other notable credits include Pixar’s “Despicable Me”, Disney’s “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2”, VH1’s “Basketball Wives” and “Love & Hip Hop.”

Troy is also Executive Producing Angel Haze’s upcoming project as well as preparing for the release of his own, “Cafe Society” project.

Check out “GRTT2” below and stay tuned for more exciting releases. - Boi-1da.net

When you’ve worked with the likes of Chris Bown on Fame which wins you a Grammy for Best R&B Album, Frank Ocean, Miguel, Ciara, Pixar, Disney, and VH1 what’s left for you to achieve? Well, for TROY NõKA it’s being honored with your own day in Austin Texas. March 23rd will now and forever be known as TROY NõKA day in the famed home of SXSW city. For TROY it doesn’t stop there. He recently dropped his latest body of work in, “Gotta Rep The Town 2,” and he is gearing up to release his next project Cafe Society. In the meantime, he is hard at work on Angel Haze’s upcoming project. Take a listen to the latest from TROY NõKA below. - The Hype Magazine

Things have been pretty busy for Dom. His last solo album was Los Angeles Is Not for Sale, Vol. 1. The 15-song LP dropped last December and featured guest features from Troy Noka, Riko G4, Ricky Hill and P-Lo with production handled by Cardo, Polyester, J.LBS and more. - XXL

Introspective deliveries with sci-fi production comes courtesy of Frank Ocean collaborator Troy Noka, while MC Lyte schools on Nineties hip-hop. - Austin Chronicle

Friday night’s lineup features R&B innovators Tony! Toni! Tone! with two of three original members and feminist hip-hop pioneer, MC Lyte. Former Destiny’s Child member Letoya Luckett and local hip-hop artist Troy Noka round out the bill on Friday - Austin American-Statesman

TROY NōKA releases “Be Dat” in preparation of his new mixtape, “Gotta Rep The Town 2”. The release of “Be Dat” on Jan. 16 is suited well, as there is a tribute to Martin Luther King in the first verse of the song. Be on the look out for the tape drop at the end January. - Raps and Hustles

Austin, Texas-residing creative TROY NoKA has lyrics to go on his latest release, the J.white DID it-produced “Bars for Dee.” Through his lyricism, he makes it clear that he’s not one to play around with the politics of the industry. He’d rather focus on making an impact. Look for Troy’s Gotta Rep The Town 2 project to release in January 2017. - Artistic Manifesto

Dom Kennedy delivers his new album Los Angeles Is Not for Sale, Vol.1

The 15-track project contains guest features from Troy Noka, Riko G4, Ricky Hill and P Lo. Meanwhile, the album’s production is handled by Cardo, Polyester, J.LBS and more. - XXL

Nōka challenges kids to pursue whatever creative medium they are passionate about. - The Orange County Register

Doja Cat finds her stride on her latest release, the Troy Noka and Yeti Beats-produced “Casual.” The Los Angeles-based songstress’s alluring, mellow vocals find a welcoming home in the midst of acoustic-tinged production. The song addresses the ambiguity of many of our “situationships.” She simply wants to know – do you want a fling or a future? - Artistic Manifesto

Rapper and musician Troy Nōka grew up in Austin in the ’90s, but these days he splits his time between our fair city and the larger entertainment metropolis, Los Angeles. It’s there he met R&B visionary Frank Ocean. - AUSTIN 360

Welp, it finally happened: Frank Ocean released Endless, a 45-minute visual album that might be what Boys Don't Cry was supposed to be...or may be a precursor to Boys Don't Cry. - COMPLEX

Hailing from Austin, TX, it’s been some time since Troy Noka delivered his mixtape “Gotta Rep The Town.” Now, he’s back with a new visual for “Perfect Sense,” which features heavyweight songstress and Epic signee Natasha Bedingfield. As the video touches on the events going on in America, specifically police brutality and the #Blacklivesmatter movement, Troy expresses his thoughts as he tries to make perfect sense of today’s world. - HipHopDx

Austin, Texas native Troy Noka hits the DC pages today with a meaningful new video for his track “Perfect Sense.” It features famed UK crooner Natasha Bedingfield, who’s standout voice combines with Noka’s knockout verses splendidly, all adding up to a great listen and touching video overall. With all the racially-driven craziness going on in the world right now, Noka shines a light on the topic as he tries to make perfect sense of it all. Watch above and enjoy! - Daily Chiefer

Buoyed by producer Troy Noka’s multi-layered production, Haze fully lays her emotions on the table, showing a completely different side of the artistic honesty she demonstrated on her rendition of Eminem's “Cleanin’ Out My Closet,” which is about the sexual abuse she suffered as a youth. - MTV

TROY NoKA has been a steady presence on our pages the past three years, appearing on our homepage 11 times.

The past seven months, however, the singer/songwriter, rapper and producer has been quiet. Today, he returns to The DJBooth with the premiere of his new, three-track playlist, entitled Hustle My Religion.

NoKA would like to make clear that these songs do not form a project or EP, but rather are a representation of the music he has been making lately. While it is possible that the Dom Kennedy-assisted "To The Clouds," the J-Doe-assisted "F**k That" and the solo endeavor, playlist title track eventually appear on a larger body of work, for now they will live on the artist's Audiomack profile. - DJBooth.net

One of the producers off Frank Ocean's nostalgia, ULTRA drops a new project of soulful trunk music.

TROY NoKA hails from Texas and sounds like it. After producing on Frank Ocean's nostalgia, ULTRA, NoKA cast out for a series of consistent solo tapes: the beats on Gotta Rep The Town deliver soulful trunk music, and NoKA raps well about life behind the wheel in his home state. "The album is an expression of my journey, the good and even some of the most difficult times I've been through," NoKA explains. "From losing my father at age 4, to having to move from Austin as a kid, to then making the move on my own at age 18 to LA to pursue my dream of creating music." Stream and download below.

(FADER Written by: Matthew Trammell) - FADER

Troy NōKA is a producer who's credits range from Ciara's "My Love" to multiple works by Frank Ocean, Miguel, and Chris Brown. He's got an impressive cache of works in the production field, and his CV is pretty amazing, to say the least.

He's getting ready to make a name for himself as a rapper however, and this Austin-born producer is releasing "OMM," a track that features strong and crisp production along with stellar lyricism. It hits hard and Nōka clearly knows what he's doing. It blends an infusion of trap and hip hop to create a track that is strong in attitude, style, and ferocity. Overall, his transitioning from producer to lyricist is so smooth that he makes it look easy.

Check out the track below, and for those in Austin, catch his show tonight. - EARMILK

Bracket-style competition will give one aspiring rapper the opportunity to collaborate in the studio with TROY NōKA.



Beginning April 7, Gigg will offer one undiscovered rapper a life-changing opportunity to work with TROY NōKA, while simultaneously giving dozens of up-and-coming hip-hop artists invaluable and wide-reaching exposure. Aspiring artists can upload a video of either an original rap performance or a cover of TROY NōKA’s hit, “Til I Can’t Go,” to the Gigg contest page from April 7 to May 30. Tournament style voting begins on June 2, wherein video submissions will be voted on by the Gigg users, sponsor Lyke Watches, and TROY NōKA himself. The winner of the bracket-style competition will be chosen on June 13 and flown to L.A. for a once in a lifetime opportunity to collaborate with the renowned producer and hip-hop artist.



Dedicated to uncovering the greatest musical talent across the globe, Gigg hosts a variety of contests for music fans and aspiring artists alike. There’s something about the TROY NōKA contest that is a little bit special, however. “It’s such an extraordinary opportunity,” said Gigg CEO Scott Warner, “most musicians never get the chance to work with someone as renowned and respected as TROY NōKA. It could be the start of their whole career.”



Originally hailing from Austin, Texas, Antwoine “TROY NōKA” Collins is a Grammy Award winning record producer, songwriter, pianist, and hip-hop artist. As a producer NōKA has worked with an impressive list of stars that includes Frank Ocean, Ciara, and Natasha Bedingfield, among many others. In addition to his career as a producer, NōKA is also an accomplished rapper, as well as president of the “Wiz Up Entertainment” production company and “Wiz Up Publishing” publishing company.



TROY NōKA’s passion for music, art, and fashion shines through everything that he does and he is looking forward to sharing that passion with the contest winner. “With all the talented undiscovered artists out there,” said NōKA, about the contest, “it’s gonna be dope to see who they are!”



For full contest details and to learn more visit Gigg.com/tour/troynoka. - Jessica Leonard

In his new video for the soulful jam "Bigger Than Me," Grammy Award-winning producer, rapper and singer Troy Noka may be the first artist ever to combine a speech by John F. Kennedy with scenes from a club.

It's a strange combo, but the juxtaposition makes sense to Noka: "I'm trying to convey how in life things happen that leave you confused," he tells Fuse, "but over time, you see everything happens for a reason and that we are small contributors of a plan bigger than ourselves." Watch the clip above exclusive on Fuse.

Directed by Miami-based graphic artist UnkleLuc, "Bigger Than Me" was shot over two days last December in Los Angeles and Pasadena.

"Most of the shots weren't planned," Noka admits. "We saw a taxi and I just added it in the video on the spot. The song was playing at a salsa club and everybody was dancing to my song and that was fresh. When we shot the beginning of the video at the train station, people constantly walked up to us while we were filming LOL. Security eventually shut us down since we had no permits. We had no light and just a handheld camera."

- See more at: http://www.fuse.tv/videos/2013/08/troy-noka-bigger-than-me-video-premiere#sthash.ssA4XrFB.dpuf - FUSE

You may not know his name but you definitely know his work. His production credits include some of the biggest names in today’s R&B such as Frank Ocean, Miguel, Chris Brown, as well as those in the pop world including rising star Cody Simpson. His name is Troy Nōka and he’s one of biggest up and coming producers in today’s industry. With a Grammy already under his belt, Troy has accomplished what some producers only dream of. ViewHipHop had an opportunity to check in with Troy and discuss everything from his start in production, his Grammy, and where he’s settings his sights in 2013. Check out our exclusive interview below!

ViewHipHop: For those who don’t know, who is Troy Nōka?

Troy Nōka: TroY NōKA is an American Artist, Pianist and Grammy Award Winning Producer. I’m also a “business man” (shout out to Jay Z). I’m the President of my own Production Company “Wiz Up Entertainment” and Publishing Company “Wiz Up Publishing”. This interview is about to start my Wiki page haha.

VHH: How did you get your start in producing?

TN: I started producing when I was 15 on Sony Playstation’s MTV Music Generator. I was just starting to rap and didn’t have any original beats so one day my boy Earl got the game for his birthday. He let me borrow it and I would make beats on it sampling TV commercials and anything I could get my hands on to create music. I would stay up till 3 am and have to wake up for school the next morning. That grew into a passion for making music, and I eventually started throwing shows at the local youth center to perform my original songs I created with my friends. That was the beginning about 10 years ago. (You can’t reach the top if you never start climbing)

VHH: You’ve produced for a tremendous amount of notable R&B artists including Chris Brown, Frank Ocean, Miguel, Tyrese, and Ciara to name a few. How did some of these relationships form?

TN: When I first moved to LA, I read books on engineering and from there I would seek out opportunities to study under engineers. That lead to an engineering gig with my boy Chris Spilfogel from the Production Duo “The Underdogs”. One day during a session an artist played a track that me and my close friend Brian Kennedy produced, which resulted in The Underdogs asking me to be a part of their production team. That opportunity allowed me to grow as a producer and learn from experienced writers and producers in the industry which led to me meeting and working with major artists. (When Preparation meets Opportunity, you get Success)

VHH: Why have you stuck to mostly R&B production thus far?

TN: Even though I’ve been recognized for R&B production, I have productions on Backstreet Boys, Tyga, T.Mills, Natasha Bedingfield, Dom Kennedy, Cheryl Cole and currently have the next single on Cody Simpson’s new album “Surfer’s Paradise” (in stores now). I like to challenge myself and stay open to different styles, (I’ve learned always striving to do better and staying humble is how you grow.)

VHH: How does it feel to have landed production on an album that won a Grammy? (Chris Brown’s F.A.M.E.)

TN: I remember walking up to my front door in Santa Monica and seeing the FedEx package that had my Grammy Plaque in it. That was one of my most proud moments in my career thus far. The Grammys are a very high accolade to musicians. I need a trophy for my album as a artist next.

VHH: How does your production process work? Do you have a favorite instrument?

TN: Depending on the vibe, I like to start with drums and let it go from there. Most of my productions are musical but still drum driven. My favorite instruments are the piano, cello and guitar. There are no rules, I just play from the soul.

VHH: Have you found it difficult crossing over from a producer to an emcee?

TN: I’ve always been an artist (emcee), even though I’ve established myself first as a producer. The main thing I find is that Labels rarely take chances on a producers who are transitioning into artists. You can’t let that stop you, you have to build yourself, your team, your own brand and business. Once you have all that, you won’t need the labels, the labels will need you.

VHH: You enlisted the help of Dom Kennedy on your song “Feeling It”. Can you talk about how that relationship came about?

TN: Dom and I have been cool since 2009. We were around a lot of the same people and had always had great chemistry. “Feelin’ It” sounded like a Dom track, so I reached out to him while he was working on his album, “The Yellow Album”. I played it for him and in the same night he put a verse down on “Feeling It” and then we made “Lately” for the Yellow Album.

VHH: You’re a well traveled man, having been born in Austin yet going to school in Georgia, Kansas, and Germany. What was life like in all these places and how have those experiences shaped you as an artist?

TN: Traveling at a young age made me a well rounded person, I am blessed to have experienced various cultures at such a young age. Being born in Texas you have pride for where you come from. Listening to Lil Flip, Zro, Lil KeKe, ESG, Phat Pat, Big Moe, Pokey and all the legends from that time played a big role in how I flow. I moved to Europe when I was 6, and that really showed me diversity in the world. The culture was different there when it came to rules, food, cities, transportation, schools and other things. I would watch TV and see Pop artists from the US who were popular in Germany, this got me into Pop music. When I moved to Georgia, my stepdad had a huge CD collection and I would steal his CD’s so I could listen to them on my way to school. Outkast, Tupac, and Notorious BIG, were my top 3. Kansas is where I went to high school and was where I started to create music. I knew then that I was going to pursue music and be great at it. I was destined to inspire people and have made that my goal through my music.

VHH: Who else do you intend to work with and what else do you have planned for 2013?

TN: My dream collab would be with some of the greats such as Common, I would also love to work with Ceelo. There’s a lot happening in 2013. I plan to release my first album “Love. Fear. Pianos.”, with features from Natsha Bedingfield, Dezi Paige and Mistah Fab. Im looking forward to September when Cody Simpson’s Single “La Da Dee” drops, which I produced with Wayne Wilkins. I have a couple songs on Columbia Recording artist T.Mills. I have shows scheduled, so if your in L.A. check my website for info www.troynoka.com. I also have a short film I’m releasing from my album called “Checkpoints” with Miami based director Unkle Luc. I did a couple cuts on Dom Kennedy’s new album, “GET HOME SAFELY”, (hope y’all ready for it!). I plan on doing more work this year with one of my favorite sites to be on right now, ViewHipHop.com. God willing I aspire to become the #1 artist in the world.

Be on the lookout for Troy’s album “Love. Fear. Pianos” which is being released on August 13th! - Michael E

Troy Noka has gotten a lot of buzz lately producing for the awesome Frank Ocean and the mercurial Chris Brown but the dude is also a rapper & singer in his own right and as such has been putting out some fly tunes lately (which you can peep here) even as he continues wearing the producer hat.

So we are rightfully stoked to be premiering his latest song “Feelin It” which features indie LA rapper Dom Kennedy throwing down on some verses. So tune in below for some velvety, subtly layered hip hop action to get this week started right, then tune back in on November 5th when we premiere the visuals for this bad boy. Wonder if there will be Geisha’s in it because I am definitely ‘feelin’ the gorgeous Geisha in the single artwork below. We’ll see soon enough. - mtvU

Troy Noka drops by the studio to tell us about his upcoming projects and his mixtape "Free Dreaming."

"Aww man, I don't have anybody sing my hooks, I started singing, I don't have anybody to do this, play piano, taught myself how to play piano, developed the mind set of figure it out" -Troy NoKA

Watch the video to get more on working with Chris Brown, Frank Ocean, Dom Kennedy and what's next for Troy NoKA - VIBE.COM

Name: Troy NoKA

Age: I’m an 80′s baby… I grew up in the 90′s

Where I’m from: Austin, Texas is home. As a military brat I grew up all over. I did elementary and middle school in Europe, High school in Kansas city, and I currently reside in L.A.

I’ve been rapping since: Since i was born, haha. Nah, but since Bone Thugs E. 1999 Eternal. As a kid i would throw parties and create original beats on my Playstation with a game called MTV music generator, then I would perform them at the parties with my click. Lil Flip was one of my biggest inspirations starting out.

My style and/or skills have been compared to: Kanye, Andre 3000 and Drake , all of which I think are huge compliments. I appreciate the art they each create.

My standout records and/or moments have been: “Til I Can’t Go” which was my first music video and it shows what I’m about. I play piano, I rap, I sing, I create, I’m an artist. My biggest standout moment was when I got a Grammy certificate for working on Chris Brown’s album.

I’m gonna change the game by: By being Troy Noka. By being different, by bringing to the game something people haven’t seen before. FREE DREAMING, having no limits and rules to what i do.

I’d like to work with: Yanni. He’s one of my favorite musicians. Dr. Dre, one of my favorite producers, and Prince, one of my favorite artists.

My goal in hip-hop is: To use Hip Hop to inspire people to think. share my story to inspire, challenge limits, redefine boundaries in hip hop, show its cool to be intelligent.

I’m gonna be the next: Legend

To check out more of my music go to: Follow me @TroyNoKA on Twitter. You can also find more of my music at www.troynoka.com , www.youtube.com/troynokatv , www.facebook.com/TROYNoKA , and www.troynoka.tumblr.com - NMB

Troy NoKa - Artist/Singer/Songwriter/Producer you may have heard some of his work. He produced for both Chris Brown and Frank Ocean. Troy Noka released his first album "Free Dreaming" in April. With two videos "Right Now" and "Til I Can't Go". He performed at this years SXSW Fader Fort. He currently holds residency at the Foundation Room in House of Blues on Sunset. He produced on Dom Kennedy's Freestyle track dropped by DJ Skee radio. He is also the featured producer on Dom Kennedy's single "Lately" off of Dom's Yellow" album recently released. Troy NoKa is currently working on his 2nd album to be released at the end of the summer. He is definitely someone to keep an eye on in the very near future. -

Best known for his work as a producer and songwriter under the moniker T-Wiz, Troy NōKA made his debut as a recording artist on SXSW's most anticipated stage, Fader Fort. Troy landed the coveted slot among Fader Fort's lineup after the release of the first single off his mixtape "Right Now" generated undeniable buzz online. His production of three Frank Ocean songs, including fan favorite, "Love Crimes," clearly added to his credibility as a grassroots-born artist and the excitement of his own upcoming project.

As the gates to Fader Fort opened, the crowd gathered around the stage to take in the rapper's performance which began on the piano with the second single off his upcoming mixtape, "Till I Can't Go"---a move clearly unexpected of a rapper but wildly welcomed by the audience. He then moved to center stage where he engaged the crowd in a back and forth chant of "Troy NōKA," belting out two more records---"I Got," which included a mash up of the Gotye song "Somebody I Used To Know," followed by "Right Now," which struck a familiar chord with the audience who rapped along with him.

Go to Troy Noka's channel to watch Troy NoKA perform "Till I Can't Go" at SxSW last week.

Fresh off the SxSW performance, Troy NōKA released his mixtape entitled Free Dreaming on March 20.

Did you dig Troy NoKA's perf?

—Katie Sheehan
03.22.12 - Katie Sheehan

As promised, Antwoine “T-Wiz” Collins aka Troy NōKA has stepped up from producing tracks for Chris Brown and Frank Ocean and dropped an impressive debut that stands on its own. On Free Dreaming, he plays piano, sings, raps and (like many producers) has clearly saved some of his strongest material for his solo work. NōKA embraces some of contemporary hip-hop and R&B's best tricks—the emotional wailing of guitars, the triggering of slowed down vocals, even some footwork sounding drums—but still comes off as a welcome breath of fresh air. Stream "Right Now" and download the entire album, below. - Frances Capell