Tabi was born in Togo in 1977, his father was a musician who was one of the most celebrated musician in his country. His father played guitar and an Afro-funk singing style that was combined with the sparkle of soulous, highlife, and a little bit of reggae. His father met his mother after a gig in the capital of Lomé. Her name was Jo and she was stationed there through the peace corps. They both got married had a family and travelled between Washington and Togo. But after his father Itadi wrote a song called “Mayi Africa” which called for social unity that criticized the then Togolese President Gnassingle Eyadema, they fled to the east because the political situation got too extreme. They went to Benin, then France and finally to Washington. When Tabi was a teen he would always go down in the basement to listen to his dad rehearse. His parent’s expectations for him to go to college they never expected him to be a rapper. As a pre-med student Tabi spent most of his nights rapping with a group called Organized Rhyme. His father was was shocked when Tabi said he was a rapper, he never wanted Tabi to be a musician. But he remembered how he wanted to be a musician but his parent’s didn’t want him to be so he just let Tabi become one. After college Tablol worked as a science teacher at Roosevelt High School in Petworth but gave it up after two years. His mother clipped the classified ads and spread them out on the living room coffee table hoping he would change his mind. But in 2006 he changed their minds when his single “The Pocket” popped up on local radio stations. His father was amazed on how talented his son was, he says he’s a whole different person on stage. Now his father’s only wish is for him to get a label.
The Hip Hop African
A blog and podcast on Hip Hop in Africa