Artist Tobe Nwigwe is calling for justice for Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain through a powerful medium of protest: music.
On July 5, the Houston-based rapper woke up with no intention of releasing music but said he felt God was calling him to create something.
“I woke up and, I promise you, God gave me a vision to do the song,” Nwigwe
told NBC News. “I woke up and got a vision to do that song specifically in a public service announcement-type manner.”
Later that day, the 44-second song “I Need You To” was uploaded along with the accompanying music video.
“I need you to arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor, all of y’all who think we need more evidence you goofy,” the lyrics read. “I said arrest the killers of Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain too.”
Nwigwe's sister and producer, LaNell Grant, helped him create the song, which starts out with an R&B-style rhythm but quickly changes, which Tobe said was intentional.
“She made the song — it was something light and it sounded like it was about to be a warm, buzzy feeling, and then a beat came in hard after,” Nwigwe told W Magazine.
Grant and Nwigwe's wife, Ivory, star in the music video alongside the rapper, all of them clad in matching button-down shirts and pants, executing synchronized moves.
“It took us about 30 to 45 minutes to film," he told NBC. "It was a little more complex when we first started, but we had to change it up so everybody could execute the moves properly because I wanted to make a statement."
The video, which has over 200K views on YouTube and over 1 million on Instagram, has become a popular TikTok sound, with many people using it as the background to their videos. Many people are playing off of the “feathery” sound of the opening and subsequent beat drop.
@juztjosh HuRrY Up AnD ShArE aNd SaVe It BefOrE I DelEtE It‼️‼️
@scarlet_may.1
The first generation Nigerian American said he wasn’t initially planning on putting the sound on the app, but when he saw the response he said he felt he had to. Now, the short videos that have stemmed from his rap have helped keep the conversation going.
“I think this is the one time I don’t mind the clout chasing because it keeps it at the forefront of people’s mind on a regular basis,” he said. “I’m all for clout chasing … if it’s for an actual good cause. So clout for the cause? I ain’t mad.”
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@only_carynn SAY HER NAME BREONNA TAYLOR! ##fypシ
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##breonataylor
Nwigwe, whose 2018 single “I’m Dope” landed him a fan in Michelle Obama, doesn’t intend for his music to be political. He told W Magazine he just speaks about his experiences and what’s on his heart.
“When something is wrong, I call a thing a thing. If it’s wrong, it shouldn’t be happening. Somebody needs to say something about it,” he said. “My music consistently reflects my life, my experiences, the times, what I’ve been through, and speaking to people who come from where I come from.”
He hopes that justice is served soon for both Taylor and McClain.
“All the memes, the traction, the song, however people respond to it, love it, whoever reposts it, means absolutely nothing if the people don’t get arrested who killed Breonna Taylor,” he said.
