Tobe Nwigwe

Tobe Nwigwe And Nas’ ‘On My Soul’ Track Off Of The Upcoming ‘Transformers’ Film’s Soundtrack Is Equally As Cinematic

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Based on the high-energy trailer alone, Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is expected to be one of the biggest action movies of the summer. The forthcoming film is angling to merge the franchise’s beloved automotive characters along with a ton of fresh new blood. Apparently the soundtrack is doing the same.

Grammy Award-nominated rapper Tobe Nwigwe, critically acclaimed hip-hop titan Nas, and Jacob Banks join forces on the film’s featured track, “On My Soul.” Produced by Nwigwe’s collective, The Good Stewards, the song skillfully embodies the climactic essence of the movie. With the song’s instrumental ebbs and flows, the musicians put a show lyrically as they playfully try to one-up each other.

Outside of his musical contributions to the film’s soundtrack, Nwigwe will also appear in the movie. During an appearance on Sway In The Morning, he shared how he landed the onscreen role.

“One of [the director Stephen Caple Jr.’s] best friends was a fan of [my] music. And his best friend — as they were getting ready to start shooting the movie — passed [on the role], and he had Paramount Studios reach out to me to try to play the best friend’s role in Transformers. They kind of emulated who his best friend is in real life,” he said.

Listen to the full track above.

Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts is set to hit theaters on June 9.

Tobe Nwigwe & Nas Join Forces With Jacob Banks For “On My Soul” Song From “Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts”

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There’s plenty to check out this New Music Friday (May 19), though hip-hop heads, in particular, may be interested in a collaborative effort from Grammy-nominated artist Tobe Nwigwe and legendary lyricist Nas. The duo came together along with Jacob Banks to share the lead single from the forthcoming Transformers: Rise of the Beasts film, and certainly didn’t disappoint. While Tobe starts off strong on the chorus and first verse, the singer lends his talents to the bridge, crooning out, “Bring me the smoke and I’ll build you a fire / To burn my desire, burn my desire.”

Afterward, it’s Nas’ turn to shine. “Don’t slander all the banter / Just one answer, I’m an animal,” he begins the song’s second verse. “I’m just one man, outstandin’ though / Part wolf, part king, part Hannibal,” the New Yorker’s rhymes continue. To close out “On My Soul,” all three creatives come together on a final chorus, showing off their respective talents and generating buzz for what else is to come from the soundtrack.

Read More: Nas Was Almost A Member Of Junior M.A.F.I.A., Lance Rivera Claims

Tobe Nwigwe, Nas, and Jacob Banks Team Up For “On My Soul”

While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in April, director Steven Caple Jr. hinted that some other noteworthy names will appear as well. “We have A Tribe Called Quest, we have Wu-Tang [Clan],” he revealed, also hinting at Nas’ appearance by saying, “We have a legacy artist who’s blessing us with a new track for our film, and I’m so excited about that. … He’s from the ‘90s, but I would say that he’s arguably one of the top three rappers to ever live.”

Stream “On My Soul” from the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts soundtrack on YouTube above, or add it to your playlist on Spotify/Apple Music. Who contributed your favourite part to the collaboration, Tobe Nwigwe, Nas, or Jacob Banks? Let us know in the comments, and tap back in with HNHH later this weekend for more release recommendations.

Read More: Tobe Nwigwe & Coast Contra Link Up For Fire New Track, “DESTRUCTION”

Quotable Lyrics:

Don’t slander all the banter
Just one answer, I’m an animal
I’m just one man, outstandin’ though
Part wolf, part king, part Hannibal

[Via] [Via]

Spotify’s Best New Artist Event Showcased The 2023 Grammy Nominees’ Diverse Talent

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anitta, maneksin, latto
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

It’s no secret that the Recording Academy has faced a diversity problem for many years. This time around, they’ve made some intentional inclusive strides. This year, they invited about “2,000 diverse music creators and professionals” into the voting process — according to CEO Harvey Mason Jr. — nearly half of whom are under the age of 40. Another key change the Recording Academy has made to the Grammys is expanding their major categories to include ten nominees. That’s double the number of nominees they had four years ago, allowing musicians of many different genres to earn much-deserved recognition.

That means there are ten artists up for the coveted Best New Artist trophy in 2023, and Spotify’s Best New Artist showcase placed the category’s diversity on full display. The event brought all ten artists to the stage — Anitta, Omar Apollo, Domi & JD Beck, Muni Long, Samara Joy, Latto, Måneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle, and Wet Leg — at Los Angeles’ Pacific Design Center on Thursday, February 2nd. Each musician was able to give the audience a taste of their talent, and each performance was wildly different from the last.

The night kicked off with an intimate set from Domi & DJ Beck. The young duo, who are 22 and 19 respectively, juxtaposed their smooth, jazz-leaning sound with their brightly colored personal style. Samara Joy kept the loungey jazz going by showing off her entrancing vocals and putting her own unique spin on a cover of Adele’s “Someone Like You.” Americana folk rocker Molly Tuttle wow’d with her hit track “Crooked Trees,” joined by an adept banjo player and an upright bass guitarist. Tobe Nwigwe and his entourage made clever use of the stage by dressing in matching mint green outfits and enticing the crowd to harmonize before Omar Apollo similarly led a tender sing-along to his soulful number “Evergreen.”

When it came time for overseas rock, Måneskin and indie rock favorites Wet Leg did not disappoint. Italian Eurovision Song Contest winners Måneskin exuded the cool factor, making the audience forget they were in a small venue and not witnessing a stadium tour. Wet Leg closed out the night in a similar fashion, hyping up the crowd with a rendition of “Chaise Longe” that inspired a small-but-mighty mosh pit.

Spotify’s event also allowed attendees to see how a handful of the Best New Artist nominees aren’t just musicians, they’re seasoned performers. Anitta, Muni Long, and Latto made use of the entire stage with a crew of talented backup dancers. Long, a Def Jam signee whose track “Hrs & Hrs” had viral stint on TikTok, brought four male dancers to the stage to deliver moves reminiscent of the ’90s boyband era. Anitta also brought the energy. Though the Brazilian pop star is used to gracing massive festival stages across the world, she still managed to deliver a show-stopping performance to the (relatively) small crowd with tracks like “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Envolver.”

From rap and Latin pop to bluegrass, jazz, and stadium rock, the 2023 Best New Artist category is nothing if not varied in sound. And no matter who ends up taking home the category’s trophy on Sunday, Spotify’s Best New Artist party made one thing clear: The Recording Academy is making an effort celebrate music from all genres equally.

See the full list of 2023 Grammy nominees here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Tobe Nwigwe Delivered Ethereal Performance Of ‘FYE FYE’ With Family In Tow On ‘Fallon’

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Grammy Award-nominated rapper Tobe Nwigwe may be up against some steep competition in the best new artist category at this year’s ceremony. Still, there’s no comparison to his ability to perform live. Instead, the West Houston representor stopped by The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon to put his talent on full display for the voting commitment who are still unsure about casting their ballad for the first-time nominee.

Dressed in matching mint-colored clothing, seated on stage next to his pregnant wife, Fat, the pair performs “Fye Fye,” a breakout song of their album moMINTS. With each performance, Nwigwe breathes new creative life into a song. Instead of their signature high-energy stage show, the couple opted for a softer, more ethereal approach. As their adorable young daughters freely join in, mouthing the words to the song in the background, the pair exchange energy to heighten the song’s overall message, family despite what social media says.

Tobe praises his wife in the stanza, “I done been blessed with a woman that pray heavy, but turn a freak on the liquor, uh / She keep the devil off me like the Cherubim / She make it clear to h*es that we ain’t sharing him.” Then shares his promise to his young daughters in the line, “I told my baby girl she gon’ have more in her head than just product and bundles.”

He continues speaking on his love for his family in the bars, “If you book me for a show and I can’t bring my wife and my babies, I’m leavin’ / Big daddy energy speakin’.”

While Fat ensures that as his wife, she will never lead Tobe astray, rapping, “And I ain’t Kim (What that mean?), Tobe can’t ever go Kanye.”

Watch the full performance of “Fye Fye” above.

Tobe Nwigwe Dances Over A Grave In The New ‘Head To Hades’ Music Video

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Tobe Nwigwe‘s “Head To Hades” is relentlessly infectious and witty. Out today, the new song comes with a music video of the same caliber. It finds the camera looking up at the rapper and his entourage from a grave plot as they surround the edges and dance. It’s both unsettling and hilarious, which is the perfect vibe for the track. It also features Royce Da 5’9” and Foggieraw to make it even bigger.

As usual, Nwigwe’s flow is almost philosophical in its eloquence and contemplation: “Most measure man’s worth, but what brings pleasure? / I endeavor to add some feathers on the wings of those transgressors that feel lesser / And can’t quite apply the pressure to the esophagus of they oppressor,” he raps.

“Head To Hades” follows his recent song “Mini Me,” which came with a similar video, in which he led a group in dance in a garden, joined eventually by his wife, Fat, as well as Dame D.O.L.L.A. Over the summer, he also unveiled the track “Passing Through,” with wrestled with similar themes, such as heaven. Spirituality and mortality tend to shine through in his work, especially with all of the new material this year.

Watch the video for “Head To Hades” above.

Tobe Nwigwe, Fat Nwigwe, and Dame D.O.L.L.A. Lead A Dance In A Garden In Their New Video For ‘Mini Me’

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In his latest video, “Mini Me,” Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe leads a group in dance in a garden, joined by his wife, Fat. While the two have a son in real life, Tobe addresses his “sons” in the rap game.

“Fat just had my son indeed, but a small catch / Is that I’ve had sons, just not out my ballsack / Fall back, I be appalled that / All that I’ve done for my sons don’t get wall plaques / Look, I should walk up in the room and see up on the wall / Greatest father figure of ’em all,” he raps.

Fat raps and adlibs on the chorus, saying, “I’m sick of you bein’ nice to all these boys, they’re our babies.”

The married couple is later joined by Dame D.O.L.L.A., who aims to maintain peace within himself and among others.

“Tell ’em roll out the red carpet, we special people / And we don’t see nobody as lesser equals / Boy, times change, keep the energy / We pray on enemy and never let him take our inner peace,” he raps.

In addition to putting out skillful rhymes, Tobe also stars on the Houston-set Netflix series Mo, on which, he plays the titular character’s childhood best friend.

Check out the video for “Mine Me” above.