"Tostao" Carlos Valencia is a multi platinum Latin music star, actor and civil rights activist from Colombia. His band, ChocQuibTown, has leveraged a unique fusion of global urban music and autonomous rhythms of the Pacific region of Colombia. They have won two Latin Grammys; 2010. Best Alternative Song for "De Donde Vengo Yo" and 2015 "Best Tropical Fusion Album for "El Mismo". ChocQuibTown has six globally successful studio albums Sin Miedo, El Mismo, Oro Somos, Pacifico, Eso Es Lo Que Hay and Behind the Machine.
Tostao and his two bandmates are originally from Chocó on Colombia's Pacific Coast, the native region of Colombia's Afro community and are heavily involved in efforts to promote civil rights and sustainable socioeconomic development in the region.
Their music and videos promote messages of love and black empowerment. Tostao has partnered with local NGO's to create ChocQuibFilms in 2015, a young cinema project to empower young black creatives to celebrate the daily lives of Afro Colombians. The band is heavily invested in promoting Colombia's Pacific Coast.