“I had the pleasure of giving Busta Rhymes his flowers, but there is one artist that I wish I could have honored for Hip Hop’s 50th anniversary!” yelled Tobe Nwigwe as the screams of the crowd fell with the house lights after a performance of his 2022 hit “Fye Fye.” The Alief MC stood on the 713 Music Hall stage, which had been converted into rolling green hills leading to a set of apartments in the background.
Tobe, dressed in a brown flowing vest and matching pants, stood out against the sea of green grass covering the stage. Flanking him were his dancers, each posed quietly as he continued his speech. “There is one MC that I feel so deeply about. He is one of the greatest performers ever, and I owe a lot of what I’m doing to MC Hammer!”
As he exclaimed the word “Hammer,” the video from the Bay Area legend’s ’90s hit “2 Legit 2 Quit” projected across the stage, replacing the green grass with colorful images of dancers performing synchronized moves in a warehouse. Tobe and his dancers followed suit, energetically pacing across the stage in unison, moving through the chorus until the MC joyfully collapsed in a heap center stage.
“There is no rapper alive right now able to do what that man was doing!” he screamed, breathless, as the crowd cheered. “Someone get me some water!”
In the years since Cincoriginals, Tobe has leaned even deeper into the qualities that set his movement apart. His approach is marked by a rare combination of precision, intention, and faith, all wrapped in the now-signature mint aesthetic that has come to represent both unity and clarity. The 2024 release of Hood Hymns didn’t mark a departure from his earlier work but a sharpening of the vision he’s always had. He’s not chasing a sound. He’s carving his own lane.
The Home Is Where The Hood Is Tour brings that vision to life, reflecting Nwigwe’s personality, his family, and a sound rooted in both hip hop and gospel. His music balances the religious and the secular, and his show reflects that. The audience is a mix of everyone, including families with young children, which makes sense because of the strong family influence expressed in Tobe’s music and videos.
The MC even dedicated a section of his show to introducing his family one by one, with a few performances from his oldest children. Each one performed a Michael Jackson song, showing the possibility of joining their parents in the family business.
Outside of music, Tobe has steadily expanded into acting. He made a standout appearance as Nick in the Netflix series Mo, acting alongside fellow Houstonian Mo Amer. The role felt like a natural extension of his presence. Quiet but unmistakable. In 2023, he took that reach even further with a role in Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, playing Reek while also contributing to the film’s soundtrack. The throughline stays the same; He shows up as himself and lets the work speak. There is no split between the artist and the person. Everything is built to reflect the same foundation.
The 2025 tour, Home Is Where the Hood Is, follows that same formula. There are no openers. No intermissions. The stage belongs entirely to Tobe and his tribe, and what they deliver is closer to a live installation than a traditional rap show. Each stop becomes a moment. In city after city, audiences are brought into a carefully structured world that balances choreography with spontaneity. The lighting, the visuals, the wardrobe. All of it is handled in-house, and all of it is working toward the same outcome.
The show earns attention through Tobe’s charisma and holds it through the sheer amount of attention and effort put into the performance. What unfolds on stage feels more like ritual than routine. Fans don’t leave talking about their favorite song. They talk about the energy in the room. The message is threaded through every element, from how the artists move to how they pause. And underneath all of it is the same idea that’s driven the work from the beginning. You don’t need the help of a machine if you can build your own.
Set List
Anointing (Fall On Me)
On My Soul
Catfish Blackened w/ Grits
Wildings
Fye Fye
Round Here
Destruction
Gold
Party No Dey Stop
Bravo
Day Ones
I’m Dope
Got A Lil Bag
Alert
Eat
Lord Forgive Me
Been Broke
Can You Imagine
Help You Understand
I’m Not God
Heal
A Million
When God Cracks The Sky
Try Jesus
Fye Fye
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.
