Rapper who enjoyed Michelle Obama’s backing is natural on Netflix hit
What you see is what you get when meeting Tobe Nwigwe. The American rapper is thoughtful, gregarious and respectful – qualities that not only make him a scintillating live performer, but a perfect choice to play a supporting role in the hit Netflix comedy Mo.
He says playing the part of Nick, the childhood friend of the title character, isn’t too much of a creative stretch as it mirrors the real-life bond shared with the star Mo Amer.
“All I had to do was be myself,” he tells The National after performing at the recent Sole DXB.
“Mo and I are like family in real life. The relationship we have on the show is very close because this is really how we are. Because I have that personal connection with him, I knew the show was going to be funny and cool. But I never knew the world would fall in love like that.”
Released last year, the semi-autobiographical series tells the story of Mo Najjar, a Palestinian refugee in Houston embarking on the path to US citizenship.
Aiding part of that journey is Nick, who is often called on to provide some sage advice in the second season.
“That is also my approach to my real friendship with Mo, in that I’m that friend who tries to hold him accountable, push him to be a better person,” Nwigwe says. “I think with the show, what we are really trying to show people is a semblance of what true friendship could look like.”
The effort goes both ways, it seems, as Amer was instrumental in kick-starting Nwigwe’s career.
With both hailing from Alief, a working-class suburb of Houston, Amer used his growing clout to share Nwigwe’s music with comedian Dave Chappelle, who in turn recommended it to the enigmatic RnB singer Erykah Badu.
After both publicly declared themselves as fans, Nwigwe recorded the 2018 track I’m Dope in dedication to the pair. That act of gratitude eventually reached a global audience when Michelle Obama added it to her 2020 official workout music playlist.
“The really cool thing about this was that Mo knew of me before I knew of him,” he says.
“He was the one who passed on my music to Dave Chappelle and then it was Dave who then connected me to Mo. To have the song I’m Dope eventually being appreciated by Michelle Obama was everything to me because the song is not really about trying to brag.
“What I was saying is that I’m dope because of what people I look up to and appreciate say about me.”
Grace and gratitude are uncommon subject matters in modern hip-hop, but they course through Nwigwe’s catalogue, which includes collaborations with Pharrell Williams and revered rappers Nas and Black Thought.
It began in 2016 with more than a dozen songs and colourful videos released weekly on social media, which gained a loyal following.
The tracks are defined by Nwigwe’s deep and nimble flow and subjects from the American prison system to existential meditations and family. Binding them together is Nwigwe’s Christian faith that deftly permeates throughout his work.
Last year’s album moMINTs became a major release. On it, he raps alongside stars like Pharrell and CeeLo Green.
While welcoming the bigger stages and public profile, Nwigwe says he stays away from the hedonism and misbehaviour that come with the territory. “The message of the songs and my lifestyle have to be synonymous for me,” he adds. “I know everybody doesn’t do it like that, but for me, that’s the only way I know.
“And I feel like that’s why what we’re doing is so unique because it’s tailored specifically to my experiences and my own personal relationships with my wife, my children, my friends, my family and people I grew up with.”