It’s amazing how talented Nigerians all over the world are. From musicians to music producers, painters to jazz composers. Tunji is one of such Nigerians; a half of a dynamic group (Inverse). He lives in the United States but holds down the music game like a Rottweiller would a fresh thigh. Read from the man himself below:

What up world. I’m tunji, some people call me Tunj.  Others call me Africa Black. I was born in Cali, raised in the bay and in Nigeria, went to school in Massachusetts and Claremont, now living, grinding and coming up in LA.  I’m a hustler, a scholar, an MC, a brother, a music lover, a fighter, a songwriter, a mentor, a mentee, a budding sneakerhead, a journalist, and a culture junkie. I’m good at bringing dynamic, creative, energetic people together.

Most importantly, however, I love hip hop.  It’s my life – day and night, it’s pretty much all I do.  I am inspired and driven by the culture, the music, the business, and the potential for hip hop to grow and change the world.  Life is beautiful. Check out my group: Inverse – our album (Long Days Journey) is coming soon. Our album-before-the-album: “So Far” is available for free download and purchase on iTunes/CD now.

Inverse is as real as it gets. Through songs that are upbeat, emotional, bracing and oftentimes lighthearted accounts of their true life experiences, the two California-bred rappers share distinct similarities and differences that form the basis and balance for their music. Rapping under their given names, emcees Toby and Tunji appear extremely different on the surface – one white, one black; one from a Jewish household, the other raised Muslim; one raised in Los Angeles, the other in the bay area by Nigerian parents. What they share is a passion for music that transcends any labels. With their honest brand of soulful, straightforward hip hop, the group is part of a newly emerging generation of artists born in the ’80s, raised by hip hop in the ’90s, and poised to help revitalize the culture in the 2000s.

Formed in early 2001, the group cut early demos and songs with Swedish producers Soul Supreme (KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane, Pete Rock) and K-Laz while still in their teens, leading to internet acclaim and video airplay on MTV Europe (for “The Reason,” chosen as the single from K-Laz’s album The Soulsnatcher). The group spent the next few years playing shows all over California and forming alliances with rising hip hop artists QN5 Music (Tonedeff, CunninLynguists, Pack FM, Extended Famm, etc.), Brother Ali, Little Brother and Trek Life. Choosing to hone their mic and songwriting skills before officially releasing any music, the group recorded and shelved several songs before preparing their first project So Far, a collection of old and new songs and collaborations with close friends that introduces Tunji and Toby to the world. Not to be confused with their forthcoming debut album, the group describes So Far as “a look at who we are, what we’re about, and what we’ve been working on – 14 original songs, some old, some new, all Inverse.”

Links:

Tunji

Inverse