Oluwatobi Feyisara Ajibolade, known professionally as Tobi (stylized as TOBi), is a Nigerian born Canadian singer and rapper signed to RCA Records and Same Plate Entertainment. He released his debut studio album Still in May 2019, his second album Elements Vol. 1 in 2020, and his third album PANIC in 2023.
Tobi | |
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| Birth name | Oluwatobi Feyisara Ajibolade |
| Also known as | Tobi Aji |
| Born | 1993 (age 30–31) Lagos, Nigeria |
| Origin | Brampton, Ontario, Canada |
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| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | tobi |
Early life and education
Oluwatobi Feyisara Ajibolade[1] was born in 1993 in Lagos, Nigeria and moved to Ottawa, Canada with his father when he was 9 years old. He first began writing lyrics and poetry around that time.[2][3] Ajibolade grew up largely in Brampton, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto.[1] As a teenager, he engaged in rap battles, including one with a pre-fame Tory Lanez.[4] He later attended Wilfrid Laurier University where he studied biology and psychology.[2]
Career
Around 2015, Ajibolade began releasing music using the stage name, "Tobi Aji".[5] In 2016, he began using the moniker, "Tobi" (stylized as TOBi), and independently released an EP titled, FYI.[6] The collection featured the songs, "Indecisions" and "Deeper".[7] A music video for the latter song was released in November 2016.[8] The following month, Tobi released the single, "Libra".[9]
In September 2017, he released the song, "Hidden Fences", which appeared on an episode of the HBO series, Insecure.[10] Another song, "January December", was released in January 2018.[11] Beginning in 2019, Tobi began releasing several new tracks, including "City Blues",[12] "Sweet Poison",[13] and "Werking".[14] Those three songs served as the singles for Tobi's debut studio album, Still, released in May 2019 by RCA Records and Same Plate Entertainment. The album also featured a guest appearance from VanJess on the track, "Come Back Home".[15] A deluxe edition of the album, Still+, was released in April 2020 and included two new songs ("Paid" and "Holiday") and three new remixes.[16] Still+ had guest appearances from The Game, Shad, Haviah Mighty, Kemba, Jazz Cartier, and Ejji Smith.[16]
In October 2020, Tobi released his second studio album, Elements Vol. 1.[17] It won the 2021 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year,[18] with "Holiday" being nominated for Contemporary R&B/Soul Recording of the Year.[19] The music video for his song "24 (Toronto Remix)", directed by Kit Weyman, was longlisted for the 2021 Prism Prize.[20]
In January 2021, he was named one of the winners of SOCAN's inaugural Black Canadian Music Awards alongside Dylan Sinclair, Naya Ali, RAAHiiM and Hunnah.[21]
Elements Vol. 1 was shortlisted for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize.[22]
In 2023, he participated in an all-star recording of Serena Ryder's single "What I Wouldn't Do", which was released as a charity single to benefit Kids Help Phone's Feel Out Loud campaign for youth mental health.[23]
At the Juno Awards of 2024, he won both Rap Album of the Year for Panic, and Rap Single of the Year for "Someone I Knew".[24]
Artistry
In an interview with Afropunk, Tobi cited the work of Gil Scott-Heron, Frank Ocean, Marvin Gaye, Eartha Kitt, Florence and the Machine, and Andre 3000 as inspirations for his own work, particularly his lyrics.[25]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Still |
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| Elements Vol. 1 |
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| PANIC |
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Extended plays
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| FYI |
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Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Deeper" | 2016 | FYI |
| "Indecisions" | ||
| "Hidden Fences" | 2017 | Non-album single |
| "City Blues" | 2019 | Still |
| "Sweet Poison" | ||
| "Werking" | ||
| "Woah" (with Jazz Cartier) | 2021 | TBA |