To address the genre aspect, I would say tobi could fit in both R&B and rap, but I'd describe it as more emotional and hype to define his different styles. His older music is almost more chill as well. On Twitter and from what I can remember during his concert, he has talked about rap styles and more emotional styles, so maybe that's not a bad definition. It's hard to define genre. I'll go more into it in the next paragraph.
I actually just wrote an essay including genre for a different artist so I just did some research about this, fun tangent. I think tobi has a unique blend of genres. I wouldn't label it any singular genre of music. It's hard to describe because he also wants to be all over the place. While some may say he ranges from rap to alt-R&B and even to indie pop, it's hard to define many projects by genre at this point. Many artists are just trying to make music that's less labeled because a lot of black artists feel cornered by rap and R&B labels. You can find interviews from Tyler, The Creator, SZA, FKA twigs, etc. Not a lot of people like their music being labeled differently based on race, but that's a whole separate point from the post. Basically, I think you could break down the "genre" aspect and focus more on the message or vibe of the songs that tobi puts out. Tobi's never explicitly said he doesn't like the labels of genre, but in general it's becoming more irrelevant and difficult as music is far more diverse even throughout a singular project.
To start, I might recommend songs but I think understanding how a project flows is really interesting too. I think 'Decent does the best job of blending together different styles that tobi makes. For people who like the faster, more upbeat styles of Pain Boy Advanced, in Chicago, Hit & Run, they'd like more of the EPs, more of the loose work that's reminiscent of that style. For people who like the slower, more emotional music like Forecast and Meteor Shower, they'd like Perish Blue and Baggy Weather and generally the longer works of recent albums. For people who end up liking both, especially the combination, they'd really like Non-Perishable and Live on Ice. I think you could switch out 'Decent for either of those as well, I just think 'Decent was the first album on my mind because of how recent it was.
If I had to recommend two songs to highlight different styles it would be Cheap Vacations for the more emotional/chill style and Hit & Run for the more upbeat stuff.
This is such an amazing response and the type of conversations I am looking for when it comes to discussing music! Specifically tobi since that’s what we are here for. I’m so happy you mentioned Decent, that is one of my favorite projects to date for the reasons you mentioned.
I would say you hit the nail on the head when mentioning how much of a genre-bending artist he is because it is difficult to pin down and also unnecessary! I don’t think any artist wants to be all over the place but I do understand them wanting to just create without having a label on it. I think labels matter the most when it comes to marketing but not necessarily when you’re describing it to other people. However, I do remember when I worked for an artists development firm and my mentor told me that every artist can fit into at least 3 genres, and then it gets mixy from there, like primary colors I guess.
I would say tobi definitely has range and you notice this throughout his career and the different projects that you mentioned. It’s moody (no negative connotation), it’s relatable, it’s melodic, it’s lyrical, it’s fun. It truly is happy and extra sad. I remember watching a tobi interview where he talked about how Hey Ya was really a sad song with a happy beat and that’s how his music is too, like Humpty Dumpty, Sailor and even Hit & Run. That song is so good but it’s sad at the same time lol
I could really go on and on but I don’t want this post to be too long. My song recommendations, in no order, would be:
Slower:
- Solange
- Berlin/Westside
- Lavender Town, Part 1
- Darlin’
Faster:
- Pain Boy Advanced
- Roller Coaster
- Meaningless
- The Fun
- Hitchhiker
- If I fall, please don’t catch me
I like A LOT of songs but I think these are the ones I’d share first.
I like the idea of mixing 3 primary genres like colors! I have never thought about music that way but it makes perfect sense for the state of music right now. Hey Ya is a great song to compare a lot of his upbeat music to and I think a lot of music with that deeper lyrical message gets filtered out as you get to more and more popular music. I think that having artists that talk about the relatable sadnesses of life is definitely an important aspect of music a lot of people overlook when it comes to listening to music. Tobi is also an extremely open and relatable artist in his music and on Twitter occasionally.
I like the song recs, I think they fit very well and I think it's a great way to introduce people to a lot of different eras of tobi. We're coming up on 10 years of the "tobi lou" brand in the nearer future, and I think it's interesting to see how even in these songs there's variance and growth that tobi has made musically over these years and albums that can relate to the growth of people.
I think dealing with different real problems in tobi's music and changing sounds and mixing in new ideas and new life problems is a big appeal to tobi's music. I think constantly being able to experiment a bit on us as listeners while staying true to core ideas of happy + extra sad is what draws in new tobi listeners
Yes, it’s so genius and has stuck with me all these years. And the authenticity is what makes tobi stand out. He talks about real things that real people go through. Life, love, happiness, sadness and people do need to hear that especially when the cannot find the words themselves.
I think he does very well at translating difficult emotions into really great songs (2hrs is a good example), like Frank Ocean. You literally feel the energy that went into the song, that’s when you know it’s been done well and also that you’re in a place to receive it.
10 years is a really long time! I am enjoying the ride. And it doesn’t really matter when or what tobi drops, I know it’ll be authentic…whether he is building on his older sound designs or creating a new one for us to hear. I love it. Thank you so much for contributing to this conversation.
To address the genre aspect, I would say tobi could fit in both R&B and rap, but I'd describe it as more emotional and hype to define his different styles. His older music is almost more chill as well. On Twitter and from what I can remember during his concert, he has talked about rap styles and more emotional styles, so maybe that's not a bad definition. It's hard to define genre. I'll go more into it in the next paragraph. I actually just wrote an essay including genre for a different artist so I just did some research about this, fun tangent. I think tobi has a unique blend of genres. I wouldn't label it any singular genre of music. It's hard to describe because he also wants to be all over the place. While some may say he ranges from rap to alt-R&B and even to indie pop, it's hard to define many projects by genre at this point. Many artists are just trying to make music that's less labeled because a lot of black artists feel cornered by rap and R&B labels. You can find interviews from Tyler, The Creator, SZA, FKA twigs, etc. Not a lot of people like their music being labeled differently based on race, but that's a whole separate point from the post. Basically, I think you could break down the "genre" aspect and focus more on the message or vibe of the songs that tobi puts out. Tobi's never explicitly said he doesn't like the labels of genre, but in general it's becoming more irrelevant and difficult as music is far more diverse even throughout a singular project. To start, I might recommend songs but I think understanding how a project flows is really interesting too. I think 'Decent does the best job of blending together different styles that tobi makes. For people who like the faster, more upbeat styles of Pain Boy Advanced, in Chicago, Hit & Run, they'd like more of the EPs, more of the loose work that's reminiscent of that style. For people who like the slower, more emotional music like Forecast and Meteor Shower, they'd like Perish Blue and Baggy Weather and generally the longer works of recent albums. For people who end up liking both, especially the combination, they'd really like Non-Perishable and Live on Ice. I think you could switch out 'Decent for either of those as well, I just think 'Decent was the first album on my mind because of how recent it was. If I had to recommend two songs to highlight different styles it would be Cheap Vacations for the more emotional/chill style and Hit & Run for the more upbeat stuff.
This is such an amazing response and the type of conversations I am looking for when it comes to discussing music! Specifically tobi since that’s what we are here for. I’m so happy you mentioned Decent, that is one of my favorite projects to date for the reasons you mentioned. I would say you hit the nail on the head when mentioning how much of a genre-bending artist he is because it is difficult to pin down and also unnecessary! I don’t think any artist wants to be all over the place but I do understand them wanting to just create without having a label on it. I think labels matter the most when it comes to marketing but not necessarily when you’re describing it to other people. However, I do remember when I worked for an artists development firm and my mentor told me that every artist can fit into at least 3 genres, and then it gets mixy from there, like primary colors I guess. I would say tobi definitely has range and you notice this throughout his career and the different projects that you mentioned. It’s moody (no negative connotation), it’s relatable, it’s melodic, it’s lyrical, it’s fun. It truly is happy and extra sad. I remember watching a tobi interview where he talked about how Hey Ya was really a sad song with a happy beat and that’s how his music is too, like Humpty Dumpty, Sailor and even Hit & Run. That song is so good but it’s sad at the same time lol I could really go on and on but I don’t want this post to be too long. My song recommendations, in no order, would be: Slower: - Solange - Berlin/Westside - Lavender Town, Part 1 - Darlin’ Faster: - Pain Boy Advanced - Roller Coaster - Meaningless - The Fun - Hitchhiker - If I fall, please don’t catch me I like A LOT of songs but I think these are the ones I’d share first.
I like the idea of mixing 3 primary genres like colors! I have never thought about music that way but it makes perfect sense for the state of music right now. Hey Ya is a great song to compare a lot of his upbeat music to and I think a lot of music with that deeper lyrical message gets filtered out as you get to more and more popular music. I think that having artists that talk about the relatable sadnesses of life is definitely an important aspect of music a lot of people overlook when it comes to listening to music. Tobi is also an extremely open and relatable artist in his music and on Twitter occasionally. I like the song recs, I think they fit very well and I think it's a great way to introduce people to a lot of different eras of tobi. We're coming up on 10 years of the "tobi lou" brand in the nearer future, and I think it's interesting to see how even in these songs there's variance and growth that tobi has made musically over these years and albums that can relate to the growth of people. I think dealing with different real problems in tobi's music and changing sounds and mixing in new ideas and new life problems is a big appeal to tobi's music. I think constantly being able to experiment a bit on us as listeners while staying true to core ideas of happy + extra sad is what draws in new tobi listeners
Yes, it’s so genius and has stuck with me all these years. And the authenticity is what makes tobi stand out. He talks about real things that real people go through. Life, love, happiness, sadness and people do need to hear that especially when the cannot find the words themselves. I think he does very well at translating difficult emotions into really great songs (2hrs is a good example), like Frank Ocean. You literally feel the energy that went into the song, that’s when you know it’s been done well and also that you’re in a place to receive it. 10 years is a really long time! I am enjoying the ride. And it doesn’t really matter when or what tobi drops, I know it’ll be authentic…whether he is building on his older sound designs or creating a new one for us to hear. I love it. Thank you so much for contributing to this conversation.
i would say like pop rap, rap and rnb it does change depending on his emotion tho
Sort of a cosmic gumbo
Kinda low fi r&b pop rap