One of the best songs off of Anderson .Paak’s critically acclaimed 2016 album, Malibu is “The Waters” featuring BJ the Chicago Kid. The combination of BJ’s soft vocals, .Paak’s cruising verses and the instrumentation make a truly unbeatable combination.
Now imagine if that combination resided in one singular artist. You could call him, “Anderson the Chicago Kid,” or “BJ .Paak” or, maybe, you could just call him TOBi.
Born in Nigeria but raised in Toronto, TOBi is, honestly, that good. He possesses the kind of voice that makes you stop what you’re doing so you can hear every little detail. And when he raps? Woah. The guy tumbles singing into rapping and then rapping into a snowball of lyrics that spins on the edge of control, all while maintaining the melody.
His latest song and video, “City Blues” is the perfect showcase for his talents. While musing on the city that raised him, and everything in it, TOBi flexes his vocal and lyrical chops, painting pictures of crime, aggression, and family. He splices clips of his childhood into the flick, juxtaposing a young TOBi with the fully evolved version, as he takes flight around his city.
TOBi’s last proper project dropped back in 2016, which can only mean more music is on the horizon. Until something new drops, peep the video for “City Blues” above, and be sure to keep it locked right here on EARMILK for all the best music.
Connect with TOBi: SoundCloud | Instagram | Twitter
