Ian Neuma Martin was raised between three cultures. Born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, at age 3 his family moved to Spain to do missions work among drug addicts on the streets of Madrid. Five years later another move brought them to Birmingham, UK. Desperate to find a secure identity, Ian initially rejected British culture as much a possible, forcing himself to maintain his American accent and style despite the sometimes negative attention it drew. 
 Ian’s earliest years were imbued with music. His grandfather had been a Big Bang trumpeter and his parents had met through playing in a band. But Ian’s introduction to hip hop came at age 11 when he was handed a mixtape featuring Gospel Gangstaz and other underground Christian rappers. From this point on he became devoted student of the culture, devouring the works of Nas, Gang Starr, Rawkus Records, OutKast, Tunnel Rats, The Cross Movement and many more. He began writing songs and producing beats at age twelve. 
 At age 17 Ian adopted the name Neuma and recorded his first studio album City on a Hill (2007), which was met with excellent reviews and airplay on BBC radio. Coalition Forces, a duo with South African rapper Skivvy-G, was also recorded later that year while living in Pretoria. After university studies at UCL and Oxford, Ian released an apologetics-themed EP, Wish It Were True (2014). His latest release, Dual Citizen, inspired by the experience of growing up between cultures was released in 2018.