Gorilla Nems

Travis Doyle, known professionally as Gorilla Nems, was born on December 21, 1982, in Coney Island, Brooklyn. He began his career in the early 2000s within the New York City battle rap scene, achieving success in competitions such as EOW and Braggin’ Rites. In 2006, Nems gained wider recognition through his appearances on MTV2’s Fight Klub league, where he accumulated the most wins in the league’s history with 25 victories. Following his television exposure, he released several mixtapes, including “FYL Valium Won,” “Free Nems,” and “FYL Valium Too,” and signed with the independent label Psycho+Logical-Records, embarking on tours across the United States. In 2010, he released his debut album, “Prezident’s Day,” under Creative Juices Music. His discography continued to expand with albums and EPs such as “Filthy Fly Shit,” “Coney Soprano,” “Broke Safety,” “Fuck Your Love,” “Gorilla,” “The Planet Of The Apes” series, and “Skinny Nems.” His 2019 album, “Gorilla Monsoon,” featured 14 tracks, followed by “Bamboo” in 2020 and “Congo” in 2021. Throughout his career, Nems has collaborated with notable artists like Fat Joe, Styles P, Ghostface Killah, Kool G Rap, Ill Bill, Sean Price, Jedi Mind Tricks, Termanology, Statik Selektah, Torae, and D12. He was featured on two tracks of Ghostface Killah’s 2014 album “36 Seasons” and La Coka Nostra’s 2016 album “To Thine Own Self Be True.” In 2021, Fat Joe referred to Nems as “the next Fat Joe” during a special episode of Rap City ’21.

Nems’ influence extends beyond music into content creation and entrepreneurship. In early 2021, he popularized the catchphrase “Bing Bong” while promoting his merchandise on social media. The phrase became widely viral after he used it during an episode of Sidetalk, an online video series. The “Bing Bong” trend on TikTok led to over half a million videos using his original sounds and clips featuring the #bingbong hashtag garnering over a billion views. Celebrities including Joe Biden, the Jonas Brothers, John Legend, Lil Nas X, Olivia Rodrigo, Jack Harlow, and Avril Lavigne participated in the trend, further cementing its cultural impact. Concurrently with his viral success, Nems developed and owns “Fuck Your Lyfe” (FYL), a Brooklyn-based merchandise brand that has generated over $1 million since its launch in 2020. The FYL brand includes embroidered hats, sweatshirts, and other apparel, available online and in a brick-and-mortar store. This blend of musical artistry, viral content creation, and successful brand building highlights Nems’ multifaceted career progression.