Tobe Nwigwe | |
---|---|
Birth name | Tobechukwu Dubem Nwigwe |
Born | Alief, Houston, Texas, U.S. | March 8, 1987
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 2016–present |
Labels | independent |
Spouse(s) | Martica "Fat" Nwigwe |
Website | tobenwigwe |
Tobechukwu Dubem "Tobe" Nwigwe[ pronunciation? ] (born March 8, 1987) is an American rapper, singer and actor.
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 "Fat" Nwigwe. They have 4 children, Ivory, Sage, Chukwueze, and Chikodili. As of 2024, Tobe and Fat are expecting a 5th child. [7]
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]
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] |
Rufus Johnson, better known by his stage name Bizarre, is an American rapper, best known for his work with the Detroit-based hip hop group D12.
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