Something will happen on Telegraph Hill
Why is something happening on Telegraph Hill and who is Tomboxe, anyway?
Olumide “Tomboxe” Maborukoje, he is a rap-singer, he’s legit, and his music is good.
Born January 18th in London, Tomboxe was brought up in between Lagos and London. A few years in London, and then a lot of years in Lagos. He is a graduate of Babcock and he studied computer science.
First time I heard of Tomboxe was when he dropped his Oleku cover in 2013, I liked it and ever since I kept tabs.
Why rap is always the main question, why rap?
Tomboxe got into rap in secondary school when a classmate loaned him Eminem tapes. That was it. At that point, he only sang and dropped hooks while his friends freestyled. University changes everything. While studying Tomboxe worked with a gospel group and performed regularly on campus.
Due to unknown circumstances, Olumide stopped making music, he continued but not until he met a group of guys like Oji, a Producer in Babcock whose hunger made him rediscover himself. Oji and Tomboxe are working together on what would happen on Telegraph hill.“
Every rapper has a defining moment, Tomboxe’s was when he got past the preliminary and first rounds of MTV Brand New Unsigned for 2012. More focused on the future Olumide wants to collaborate and fill his blank canvas with art that will outlast him, rappers and singers are all welcome. His goal, his need, is to fill a gap that will not be duplicable.
There are no official singles from him, just bits and pieces floating around the internet but I recommend Extra-terrestrial. No features too, people who operate on cosmic energy don’t feature, they collaborate. Music is supposed to feel fresh and natural, never formulaic, most of the people he has worked with are people you haven’t heard of, yet.
“Something Is Happening on Telegraph Hill” is not Tomboxe’s first project but something he has completed. There’s a lot to come.
The Nigerian Music industry lacks structure. The lack of structure in the industry makes breakthroughs difficult than it should be for artists like Tomboxe. He made complaints about Payola being an issue, one that dilutes the quality of music coming through even though most outlets swear blind that they only play the best.
As far as sound influences are concerned, Olumide has been influenced by many. I mentioned Eminem, Michael Jackson too, Prince, Justin Timberlake and Ron Isley made him love falsetto and train myself to hit high notes. Brandy and T-Pain influenced his love for harmony. Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, DMX made him appreciate tone and verse structure in rap. Dr Dre, Timberland, Cool and Dre and Pharrell influenced his production.
“Something Is Happening on Telegraph Hill” will explore every genre and don’t worry, the vibe will be right. Expect good music.
