TOBi Turns Pain Into Positivity In The New Music Video For “Made Me Everything”
There is no doubt that Brampton-native TOBi is one of Canada’s best new hip-hop artists. Seamlessly combining rap, jazz, R&B, and soul into his music, the 27-year old artist is continuing to make waves with each new release. His debut album and its deluxe counterpart STILL, was the compelling first taste of his professional career, and TOBi has announced his latest project ELEMENTS will be out on October 14th.
Following his latest release “Dollas and Cents” closely behind is his new single “Made Me Everything”, a triumphant and soul-powered display of his tenacity and musical passion. Built over a Charles Moose Amos & Tony Milen sample, “Made Me Everything” suddenly cracks open into an uplifting and bouncing hip-hop track about what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
“The pain made me everything I am”, TOBi sings at the song’s core, turning the bad into a good time. “This is the first song that Alex Goose produced for me and we have so much more in the chamber. That soulful energy with a contemporary touch is what my music is about”, he says. “I’m bringing that feeling back for the kids to experience. It’s been a crazy year collectively and adding our personal lives into the mix makes it more complex. Then, we have the reopening of racial wounds in North America. It’s heavy stuff, so we create joy and find ways to smile and thrive through the pain. We are resilient. We got this“.
The joy and positive energy is carried forward into the accompanying music video, shot in Toronto and featuring his surrounding community.
“We got the whole block out for this video. Shoutout to Director Kit for being an anchor in that regard. I had some of my childhood homies in there, the dance community, the Toronto film community, real people I’ve met. This video shoot was one of the best days I’ve had this year. Everyone showed their talent and simply enjoyed life. If that doesn’t motivate you I don’t know what will. The reactions throughout the video aren’t scripted, those moments are real and spontaneous. From the basketball scene to the backflip, the kids were losing it in real time. It was magical,” says TOBi.
Enjoy the positivity below, and you can hear this and more of my favourite songs on my “Starting Line-Up” playlist on Spotify.
