Real name: Phillip Martin III

Effective period / Period of releases: 1995 - 2005

Phillip Martin III (born January 10, 1968 in San Antonio, Texas), also known by the stage name Nino, is an African-American rapper, producer, director, screenwriter, film editor, entrepreneur and music distributor. Martin has co-authored two books and directed two movies.

Martin's previous stage names include Pony J and Jake. Martin took on the stage name of Nino as part of the Texas rap group P.K.O. (Pounds, Keys and Ounces).
Martin distributes music under the umbrella of Big Ballin Recordz and Youngsta Records. He has also used various other outside companies to distribute a series of albums of popular music.