Who is Tobe Nwigwe? The Hip Hop Awards Performer Who Tore Down The Stage
The 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards lived up to its name “hip hop’s biggest night" this past Tuesday (Oct. 5), as it came packed with groundbreaking performances, headlining speeches, and jaw-dropping outfits.
One unforgettable performance that had everyone talking the entire week was Tobe Nwigwe’s, who brought out his wife, Fat, and producer, Nel, to body their song "Fye Fye".
Being that he’s relatively new to the music scene, here are a couple facts about the Hip Hop Awards performer who brought down the stage.
Could Have Made The NFL
The first thing you may notice about Tobe is that he’s massive. And, well, that’s because he was a star linebacker at the University of North Texas.
He was even a pro prospect before a foot injury upended his athletic existence. Check out the video of him working out for pro football scouts above.
Name Means “Praise God.”
As you probably guess, Tobe Nwigwe has international roots. The Houston native is Nigerian American and his name, “Tobe,” is short for “Tobechukwu,” — an Igbo word for “Praise God” “Nwigwe” is pronounced nuh-wee-gweh
Performs With Family
Another thing you’ll notice about Tobe is that he’s always with a companion onstage. Well, that woman is his wife, Fat.
Not only do they have three children together, but they’re frequent collaborators, sharing the hits “Eat” and the “Fye Fye” together.
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Love and God
All of Tobe Nwigwe’s songs are composed with holistic elements. No matter which tracks you’re listening to, you’re sure to find components of soul, spirit, African roots — as in the drums and lyrics and costumes — and street.
From sending warning shots on “Try Jesus” (“Try Jesus please don't try me because I fight”) to bragging about his skills on “Nobody” (“I hustle like Nipsey, Yahweh assists me, that’s why the flow smooth as whiskey”), to him talking about love on “Wavy” (“Ouu, I could use some water, and you look wavy baby”) and teasing his wife on “JÔCKÎN” (“lowkey, Fat fine, but she pose goofy”), his messages are a breath of fresh air from the violence that’s more common.
“We believe what he receives from God,” Nell, his producer, says in an interview. “We believe it. We believe in the vision he has and the vision that God has for him.”
Purpose Driven
Furthermore, Tobe’s entire mission is purpose-driven.
He was able to catapult himself into mainstream attention via social media—specifically, through #getTWISTEDsundays, which is an ongoing series that delivers a new music video at the beginning of each week.
The weekly segment offers Nwigwe rapping with his signature flow, often on living the Christian faith.
“Everybody has a story,” he says. “I feel you have to tell the story in a way that the audience that you’re trying to reach can relate to it. People don’t want to hear corny stuff,” he says in an interview.
With over eighty videos, three years deep and over 300,000 followers, Nwigwe has surely made an impact on what he believes is his mission.
