I first discovered Tobe Nwigwe during the pandemic. I remember the day my dad came home from work and was so excited to play a song that one of his patients had him listen to. The song that he played for me was “JUICE”, which featured Paul Wall, and I just vividly remember playing that song at least 3 times and bopping our heads in the kitchen to every single verse and every rhyme. The reason why I bring this up is because how much I truly admire this artist and his craft ever since I first discovered him (thanks Dad!). Tobe Nwigwe is already amazing because number 1: he’s from my beloved homewtown of Houston, Texas. He is Nigerian and of Igbo descent, which is definitely shown throughout his music. I had the pleasure of listening to his newly released song “Bravo” and also watching the music video. His song really exemplifies his creativity, lifestyle, and also his Igbo heritage.
It starts off with the first and second verses “First off, my name is Tobe, but it’s really Tobechukwu”. His name Tobechukwu is Igbo for “Start Praising God” and this is really a testament of him honoring his Igbo heritage. Another verse that also reflects his heritage is when he says “on the southwest eating Fufu”. Fufu, being a staple dish in West African cuisine, speaks to his home country, Nigeria, in how he still embraces that culture while being in the U.S. He also displays that he still shares his Nigerian culture with his kids in the song as he mentions one of his children name’s is Chukwueze (meaning God who is King). Within the song, the beat and rhythm switch to that of traditional West African drums, which again pays homage to his motherland. Although being raised in the U.S., he raps about both the city he grew up in and about his culture in what he raised in.
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