'The greatest experience we've ever had': Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe lights up ACL Fest

A clear highlight of this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival was fast-rising Houston hip-hop star Tobe Nwigwe, who performed on Saturday night of both weekends. Just past sundown on the Barton Springs stage, Nwigwe enthralled crowds with a 70-minute set that mixed hard-hitting rap with sweet, gospel-tinged soul music, and delivered with a tour-de-force ensemble that featured more than two dozen singers and dancers.

Nwigwe and his wife, Martica "Fat" Nwigwe, led the way decked out in floral-accented outfits to set them apart from the elegant white attire of their crew. They often traded verses back and forth, especially in the first few numbers, which hit with red-hot intensity.

It was perhaps a little too red-hot, early on: Their vocals were mixed so high that it was almost ear-piercing, even a good ways back from the stage. The sheer volume certainly got everyone's attention, which may have been by design.

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Soon enough, Nwigwe transitioned into more soulful sounds that emphasized piano accompaniment and the impressive voices of his many supporting singers. Much of the set drew from "MoMINTs," which came out in August and was described by American-Statesman writer Deborah Sengupta Stith in our pre-festival picks as "a truly astonishing opus that packs the righteous rage of a prophet, the luscious four-part harmonies of the dirty South and revelatory rhymes."

A mid-set highlight was the epic "Houston Tribute," which Nwigwe explained he'd performed as part of the NPR "Tiny Desk" video series in a 2019 clip that has since racked up more than 4 million views on YouTube. "I do it everywhere I go," he explained, adding that "since I'm in the great state of Texas, I feel like I'm home anyway."

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Indeed, Nwigwe seemed genuinely appreciative of the respect he got from the Austin audience, which often sang out loud and proud when he asked for their participation. Nwigwe also played Bonnaroo this year, but early in Saturday's set, he described his ACL Fest appearances as "probably the greatest experience we've ever had." Europe will get their chance next: In November, Nwigwe heads overseas for eight shows in major cities including London, Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam.

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"I've got two more, I don't want to go over my time," Nwigwe said with about 5 minutes left in the allotted hour. Festival organizers can be strict about set times, as Boy George & Culture Club found out earlier Saturday. But fortune was shining on Nwigwe and his crew: Their set was the last one of the night on the Barton Springs stage, which is set off enough from the main area of the park to make sound bleed between stages minimal.

So the festival wisely let him run 10 minutes long, and everyone who'd packed the area from the soundboard to the stage seemed just fine with that.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Tobe Nwigwe performs at ACL Fest 2022 Weekend 2