“What can you do for me that I’m not already doing?”
That’s Tobe Nwigwe’s honest question when Mass Appeal Records, Roc Nation and Sony have called asking to sign him. The answer—”Anything we can do”—has been less than convincing.
Far from conceited, Tobe Nwigwe just happens to know he’s the second hardest working rapper in Houston.
The first is his wife Ivory, aka “Fat.”
Before Tobe ever dreamed of rapping, he was an NFL prospect at the University of North Texas until an injury sidelined him. After that, he founded Gini Bu Nkpa Gi? – TeamGINI (Igbo for “What’s Your Purpose?”) to bring opportunity and independence to kids and families back home in Southwest Alief through creative education, financial literacy and mentorship.
And THEN he became a viral rapper.
A video Tobe created for 2016’s #SoGoneChallenge across social media inspired his #getTWISTEDSundays where Tobe shared music and Black culture while Fat twisted his hair. There, Tobe posted songs like “I Need You to (Arrest the Killers of Breonna Taylor)” and “Try Jesus” that went on to grace the social feeds of Dave Chappelle, Michelle Obama, Erykah Badu, Diddy, LeBron, Madonna… and maybe yours too.
Tobe’s music is beyond accessible. He frequently drops new tracks on social, his videos ALL include built-in captions, and there’s not a single expletive because Tobe’s not only a spiritual man, he’s also a family man. In “FYE FYE,” he raps about his “Big Daddy Energy,” saying “If you book me for a show and I can’t bring my wife and my babies, I’m leaving!”
Speaking of, let me tell you about the hardest working woman in Houston. In the Nwigwe Empire, Fat’s done everything Tobe has and more since she met him at Team GINI. In fact, her queenly entrance to the “FYE FYE” video doubles as a reveal: she’s 5 months pregnant with the couple’s third child. What you can’t see is the sickle-cell anemia she’s defying to come at this video shot in a single day with an energy that’s unreal. Lyrically, you’ll hear her switch her flow at least 4 times without missing a lick, another amazing feat because “Fat grew up ‘scary church’” according to Tobe, and didn’t rap a day in her life before she was with him.
Beyond the music, Tobe and Fat are creative directors in the art, choreography, cinematography, and essentially every aspect of their brand, and it is STUNNING. Honestly, “FYE FYE” is just a teaser of what they’re capable of visually, and if you follow them on Instagram or YouTube, I PROMISE you will be blown away at what Tobe and company are capable of executing at their house, under a highway, in a parking lot or museum.
Afterward, Sony welcomes any suggestions.