Rapper popular for his song 'I Need You To (Breonna Taylor)'

Tobe Nwigwe | Biography

Tobe will be seen in the movie 'Transformed: Rise of the Beast,' set to release in 2022

• By Anuska
• Update : October 19, 2021

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Tobechuwkwu Dubem Nwigwe is a rapper and singer who rose to fame after releasing a song on a black woman, Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot by white police officers at her apartment in Louiseville. 

Who is Tobe Nwigwe?

Tobe Nwigwe, popularly known as "Tobe" Nwigwe, is an Igbo- American rapper and singer. He writes about his difficult upbringing in Alief, Texas. Tobe went viral when he rapped about Breonna Taylor in the song 'I need you to (Breonna Taylor).'

Early Life 

Tobechukwu Dubem Nwigwe was born on 8 March 1987 in Alief, Texas. He is of Nigerian- American descent. He belongs to the Igbo natives of Nigeria who live primarily in Southeastern Nigeria. 

Tobe went to the Alief Taylor High school, where he played football. He played on the defensive side of the ball and was selected in the greater Houston Area Class 5A All-Area team by Texas Prep Xtra. 

He then continued his education at the University of North Texas. Before choosing a career in music, Tobe had a prospect for football in the NFL. 

Football

Tobe played football in high school and college. While playing for the University of North Texas, he also showed NFL talent. The fans of the college football team recognized Nwigwe as the second-team all-conference linebacker and UNT's best defensive player. However, due to a foot injury, his career in football came to an end. 

TeamGINI

In 2010, Tobe founded a non-profit organization, TeamGINI. TeamGINI is derived from "Gini Bu Nkpa Gi?," meaning "What's your purpose?," in Igbo. 

The mission of the organization is to attend to people through edutainment. The organization leverages the performing arts such as comedy, acting, and music to reach the purpose to the audience. 

Tobe met Eric Thomas, a motivational speaker known popularly as the hip hop preacher, and Carlas CJ Quinney, co-owner of Thomas' company through TeamGINI. The two picked up a musical spark from Tobe and encouraged him to explore the path of music. 

Music Career 

In August 2016, Tobe began posting original music on social media platforms. After being encouraged by Eric Thomas and Carlas CJ Quinney, Nwigwe released his debut album, Tobe from the SWAT in 2017. In his album, he talks about his upbringing in Alief, Texas, relationships, and overall outlook on life.

While he avoids violence and expletive in his lyrics, Nwigwe still manages to create a powerful and fierce take, which makes him stand out among Houston's hip-hop elite. 

Becoming Popular 

Nwigwe started the trend #gettwistedsundays while he sat at the foot of a sofa while his wife, Ivory Rogers, twisted his hair. She encouraged Nwigwe to participate in the 2016 'So Gone Challenge,' which allows people to have their own verse for Monica's 2003 hit 'So Gone.' It got Nwigwe excellent feedback.

Tobe had totally released 12 albums. Some of Nwigwe's most popular songs include 'Fye Fye,' 'Try Jesus,' 'Father Figure,' 'SWAY,' and 'Wildings.' His music has received a lot of attention from different Hollywood stars, and incidentally, Michelle Obama confessed to having his song "I'm Dope" on her workout playlist.

In 2020, Nwigwe released three albums - The Pandemic Project, The Project Experience: Live Global Broadcast, and Cincoriginals, which include guest verses by renowned rappers like Black Thought, Big K.R.I.T, Bun B, among others.   

Songs 'I Need You To (Breonna Taylor),' 'Try Jesus'

Tode's breakthrough in music came in after he released the song, 'I Need You To (Breonna Taylor),' in 2020. The song is 44 seconds long. In the song, Tobe raps about the injustice killing of the African-American medical worker Breonna Taylor at her apartment by white police officers in March 2020 and demands justice. The song eventually gained prominence and was reposted by celebrities Diddy, LeBron James, Madonna, and Amy Schumer. 

'Try Jesus,' a ballad released at the end of July 2020, also gained a reputation to Tode in the music industry. The song has over a million YouTube views and helped him land his first two placements on Billboard's genre sales charts. The song has also reached number four on Billboard's R&B Digital Song Sales chart.

Tode Nwigwe performed at the 2021 BET Hip-Hop Awards. He will be seen in the movie Transformed: Rise of the Beast, set to release in 2022.

Personal Life

Tobe Nwigwe is married to Martika Ivory Rogers, popularly known as Fat. The duo got married in 2017. The couple has two children, and Fat is currently pregnant with their third child. The couple revealed the pregnancy in a music video, 'Viral Freestyle.'

Fat frequently collaborates with Tobe for different songs such as 'Fye Fye Fye' and 'Forever Twisted.'