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Tobe Nwigwe

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Tobe Nwigwe
Birth nameTobechukwu Dubem Nwigwe
Born (1987-03-08) March 8, 1987 (age 37)
Alief, Houston, Texas, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupations
Years active2016–present
Labelsindependent
SpouseMartica "Fat" Nwigwe
Websitetobenwigwe.com

Tobechukwu Dubem "Tobe" Nwigwe[pronunciation?] (born March 8, 1987) is an American rapper, singer and actor.

Personal life

[edit]

Nwigwe is from the Alief neighborhood of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.[1]

He is of Nigerian descent, and hails from the Igbo ethnic group. He was raised Catholic, but later began attending nondenominational churches.[2]

Tobe played high school and then college football at the University of North Texas.[3] He was being considered for draft by the NFL, however, a Lisfranc ligament tear left him unable to play.[4] He then founded the nonprofit TeamGINI, a name derived from “Gịnị bụ mkpa gị??” which translates to “What’s your need?” in the Igbo language. TeamGINI aims to help families in need by giving them gifts that aid them in gaining financial literacy and independence.[5] After encouragement from the motivational speaker Eric Thomas, Nwigwe began focusing on music.[6]

Tobe is married to Martica Ivory "Fat" Nwigwe, née Rogers. They have 5 children, Ivory, Sage, Chukwueze, Chikodili and Jachike.[7]

Music career

[edit]

Beginning in August 2016, Nwigwe began posting an original song and video every Sunday across social media.[4] This led to a large social media following through his Instagram and YouTube posts and videos.[6]

Nwigwe regularly collaborates with his wife.

Nwigwe appeared on the BET Hip Hop Awards 2018 Cypher.[8] He is a featured artist on PJ Morton's album Paul, released on August 9, 2019 by Morton Records and Empire Records.[9]

In 2019, Nwigwe performed on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.[10] His music has garnered a lot of attention, including from Michelle Obama, who put his song "I'm Dope" on her workout playlist.[11] In 2020, Nwigwe went viral on digital platforms for his song "I Need You To (Breonna Taylor)".[12] He said God gave him a vision to do the song as a public service announcement.[13] He performed his songs "Try Jesus" and "Eat" at the 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards.[14] "Try Jesus" reached No. 4 on the Billboard R&B Digital Song Sales chart.[15]

Nwigwe has collaborated with many other artists, including Pharrell Williams,[16] television host Anthony "Spice" Adams,[17] Paul Wall,[18] Chamillionaire,[19] Duckwrth,[20] Big K.R.I.T.,[21] D Smoke,[22] Black Thought,[23] Royce Da 5'9",[24] Nas, Jacob Banks, Justin Timberlake, and Penny & Sparrow.[25]

Nwigwe's The Pandemic Project was released in 2020.[26]

Discography

[edit]
  • Tobe From The Swat mp3 album (ETA Records, 2017)[27]
  • The Originals (LP, Self-released, 2018)[28]
  • More Originals (LP, Tobe Nwigwe LLC, 2018)[29]
  • Three Originals (LP, Tobe Nwigwe LLC, 2019)[30]
  • Fouriginals (LP, Tobe Nwigwe LLC, 2019)[31]
  • Tobe From The Swat / The Live Experience (Double LP, Tobe Nwigwe LLC, 2019)[32]
  • Cincoriginals (LP, 2020)[33]
  • The Pandemic Project (EP, 2020)[34]
  • At the Crib Arrangements (EP, 2021)[35]
  • The Monumintal Live Recording (2022)[36]
  • moMINTs (LP, 2022)[37]
  • On My Soul (2023)
  • Hood Hymns (2024)

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Organization Year Award Recipient or nominee Result Ref.
Emmy Awards 2021 Outstanding Commercial "You Love Me" Nominated [38]
Grammy Awards 2023 Best New Artist Himself Nominated [39]
NAACP Image Awards 2022 Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary) Fye Fye Won [39]
Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album Fye Fye Nominated [39]
Outstanding Hip Hop/Rap Song Fye Fye Won [39]
2023 Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album Lord Forgive Me Nominated [39]
Webby Awards 2023 Special Achievement Himself Won [40]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "How a Nigerian Kid from Alief is Making Purpose Popular". June 16, 2017.
  2. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe Is a Visionary Hip-Hop Missionary". Texas Monthly. May 24, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  3. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe - Football". University of North Texas Athletics. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Guerra, By Joey (October 11, 2019). "Tobe Nwigwe twists himself into Houston's next big star". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
  5. ^ John, Caroline (October 28, 2020). "Tobe Nwigwe Wiki: Facts about the Houston Rapper". Earn The Necklace.
  6. ^ a b Pariseau, Leslie (August 13, 2020). "Tobe Nwigwe Never Planned to Go Viral. Then He Rapped About Breonna Taylor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "TOBE NWIGWE MOMINTS AT THE CRIB". YouTube.
  8. ^ "BlocBoy JB, YBN Cordae And More Spit Some Fire | Hip Hop Awards 2018 Cypher". YouTube.
  9. ^ "Stream PJ Morton's New Album 'Paul,' Featuring Rapsody, Jazmine Sullivan, & More - Okayplayer". August 9, 2019. Archived from the original on May 6, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2023.
  10. ^ O'Neill, Abby (August 19, 2019). "Tobe Nwigwe: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR.org. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  11. ^ @MichelleObama (January 19, 2020). "It's about that time when New Year's resolutions get a bit harder to stick to. To offer a little inspiration, I wan…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "TOBE NWIGWE | I NEED YOU TO (BREONNA TAYLOR)". YouTube.
  13. ^ "Artist Tobe Nwigwe hopes viral song will reinvigorate calls for justice for Breonna Taylor". NBC News. July 15, 2020.
  14. ^ "BET Hip Hop Awards 2020 Performers | BET". BET. Retrieved December 9, 2020.[dead link‍]
  15. ^ "R&B Digital Song Sales Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  16. ^ "Fat, Pharrell, and Johnny Venus join Tobe Nwigwe for new "Lord Forgive Me" single".
  17. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe | SPICE. feat. SPICE ADAMS (The Originals) #getTWISTEDsundays". YouTube. November 11, 2018.
  18. ^ "TOBE NWIGWE I JUICE ft. PAUL WALL". YouTube. September 15, 2019.
  19. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe - Been Broke ft. FAT, 2Chainz, Chamillionaire". YouTube. July 12, 2022.
  20. ^ "TOBE NWIGWE | WILDLINGS FT. OLU OF EARTHGANG + DUCKWRTH". YouTube. November 15, 2020.
  21. ^ "TOBE NWIGWE | BOZOS FT. BIG K.R.I.T." YouTube. November 22, 2020.
  22. ^ "TOBE NWIGWE - HEADSHOTS FT. D SMOKE". YouTube. December 6, 2020.
  23. ^ "Black Thought and Royce da 5'9" Join Tobe Nwigwe for 'Father Figure'". November 29, 2020.
  24. ^ "TOBE NWIGWE - FATHER FIGURE FT. BLACK THOUGHT + ROYCE DA 5'9". YouTube. November 29, 2020.
  25. ^ "Review: Penny and Sparrow push past Americana in 'Olly Olly'". January 21, 2022.
  26. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe Bites Into 'Eat,' 'Try Jesus' at 2020 BET Hip Hop Awards". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
  27. ^ "Alief artist goes back to his roots on EP 'Tobe from the SWAT'". December 6, 2017.
  28. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe is a New Musician to Get Excited About". April 23, 2018.
  29. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe". The New Yorker.
  30. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe's Southern Raps at the BET Experience Are Marinaded with Purpose". June 22, 2019.
  31. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe Talks 'Fouriginals' LP, Paying Homage to Houston, Family Life & More!". October 21, 2019.
  32. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe is Bound to Make an Impact in Your Life - Untapped Sound". July 19, 2021.
  33. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe releases new album 'Cincoriginals'".
  34. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe reveals 'The Pandemic Project'".
  35. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe delivers new "MOMINTS AT THE CRIB" visual".
  36. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe Returns to Houston with His Monumintal Tour".
  37. ^ "Tobe Nwigwe's moMINTS is What Homegrown Sounds Like". August 19, 2022.
  38. ^ "Houston Entertainers Top the List for 2021 Emmy Nominations". July 16, 2021.
  39. ^ a b c d e "Tobe Nwigwe - Awards". IMDb.
  40. ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index".
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