Tobechukwu Dubem Nwigwe, born on March 8, 1987, is a Houston based rapper, singer and actor of Nigerian descent from the Igbo ethnic tribe. Throughout high school and college Nwigwe played football and was considered for the NFL draft until a ligament tear left him unable to play. Nwigwe went on to establish a nonprofit TeamGINI, a name derived from “Gịnị bụ mkpa gị,” which translates to “What’s your need?” in the Igbo language. TeamGINI helps families in need, giving gifts that aid with financial literacy and independence.
In August 2016, he began to post songs on Sundays leading to a large following on social media. His NPR Tiny Desk concert in 2019 garnered a lot of attention and in 2020 he released a tribute song to Breonna Taylor, “I Need You To (Breonna Taylor),” which went viral. That same year his song “Try Jesus” reached #4 on the Billboard R&B charts. He has gone on to collaborate with many artists like Pharrell Williams, Paul Wall, D Smoke, Justin Timberlake and others. His latest release was in 2020 titled The Pandemic Project.
Nwigwe's musical style combines hip hop with elements of his African roots. His Christian faith is also a recurring theme in his high energy songs.
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