Tobi reflects on the 4-year journey to create his new album, Panic
In conversation with Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe, the Juno-winning singer discusses his earliest musical memories
In 2021, rapper and singer Tobi won his first Juno Award for his rap album, Elements Vol. 1. It was also shortlisted for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize. The album showcased his socially conscious lyrics and clever wordplay, which he sharpened on his next EP, Shall I Continue?, which was released in March 2023.
Shall I Continue? won rap album/EP of the year at the 2023 Junos, building anticipation for Tobi's followup album, Panic.
Out now, Panic sees the rapper weave melodic R&B into some of his most reflective rhymes yet, expanding his sound and flexing his creativity.
The Toronto-based musician sat down with The Block's Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe to discuss his back-to-back Juno wins, growing up in Nigeria and more.
So before we get into the album and dive into your story a little more, I want to know what it felt like for you to win another Juno during the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
Absolutely. Now, it was a beautiful moment, especially with the backdrop of the people that were on the stage. You know, that was special to me. And just being in a city I'd never been before, Edmonton. My family was at home, they didn't get to make it out, but it's all good. Yeah, it was beautiful. As you can see, I was shocked.
Were you?
Yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely was. But I know what I put into my music, and as you know, nobody can take that away from me. So [I was] very grateful. And then I had to let them know, I'm about to double back on you.
We just heard one of your earlier tracks, and if you're comfortable, let's go a little way back and talk about your origin story, if you don't mind. [You were] born in Lagos, Nigeria. So let's go back, let's go back to our Africa. Tell me, how did it all begin for you?
So I was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in the '90s. I have a lot of formative memories over there. I remember everything, you know: food, dance, culture, music, language. You know, we spoke Yoruba in my home, which is the language of my tribe.
I think being born in Lagos and still having a lot of my family there, I've always had a strong tie to my culture and, [I'm] just trying to keep it alive in my being and in my art as well.
So how did you end up over here in Canada?
That was a single-handed decision by my father. He wanted us to have a better life. And at the time, it was the right decision, because there was just a lot going on there [such as] political instability [and] a lot of economic crises, which are still going on to this day. And just some of the things that we saw, too. We experienced some violent acts while we were over there and [we were] sort of just fed up with it.
How old were you then?
I was nine years old.
Nine years old. And did you feel at the time that you were leaving your friends? You know, that age can be interesting. Were you going with hope or were you going with apprehension and fear of the unknown?
Yeah, definitely the latter. I remember the day before we left, my mom did a photo shoot with me and my best friend. Both of our parents were like, "Yeah, [we'll] do this photo shoot," and the photo is hilarious. I look at it every so often.
Have you been back?
I haven't been back, no. People are going to be mad at me because I went to Ghana instead. But it's OK.
You did, I heard that you did.
Yeah, but I'll be back this December.
OK, so not too far away. The big homecoming, that's big!
Trust me.
I remember what that felt like, you know, after so many years, returning to the homeland.
Oh, word.
Yeah, when I went back to Ghana for the first time, man, I wanted to do everything and go everywhere and see everything. I didn't want to leave, actually. So, you arrive in Canada, you're nine years old, terra incognita. And I was reading that your first introduction to music was watching Tarzan.
Oh, right. Yeah. And that was in Nigeria, actually.
Okay. Tell me about that. Well, you're watching Tarzan, and the song that resonated with you was....
You know, Phil Collins did the whole soundtrack.
I did not know that.
Yeah, he bodied the soundtrack. That's why the soundtrack for Tarzan, in my opinion, is one of the best animated soundtracks of all time. He put his whole foot in that. Yeah. So "You'll Be in My Heart," you know, that was the song.
And so for you, was it a situation of learning how to sing that song? And that's kind of what led to, perhaps, making music yourself?
Yeah, I think that was the first time I was like, "I actually love this music thing," because the vibrations that [were] happening in my body as a result of that song [made me] want to keep chasing this feeling.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length. To hear the full interview, listen to The Block on CBC Music.
