I’m always doing whatever I can to promote the Chicago music scene. From Stan Sono to Saba, it’s important to show to love to those paying homage to their cities. One of my favorite artists coming out of Chicago is tobi lou. Earlier this year, I included tobi in my “9 Artists To Keep Your Eye On During 2018.” Throughout the year, he has continued to prove that he’s making a name for himself in the music industry. His new EP “tobi lou and the Loop” makes fans incredibly excited for what is to come.

“Tobi lou and the Loop” begins with a 37-second track titled “The Name of My First Album is Cult Classic” which features a snippet of his unreleased song “Numbers.” The music starts off with “Buff Baby” which is produced by JuiceBangers and tobi lou himself. The track is filled with happy sounds and clever lyrics from tobi. “Buff Baby” was my favorite song off the EP because it’s so catchy. We move onto “Darlin’” which was released a few days prior to the release of the EP. This track has a lot of bounce to it and dives into some topics of love from tobi. He even makes a few references to Hennessey throughout the track. I love tobi’s outlook on the one’s he wish he could get rid of. It’s clear that he’s letting them know on this track!

The next track is titled “Blue” produced by Chatroom and tobi lou. This isn’t your typical song, it consists of one verse and an outro yet it still hits home. The wordplay on this track is undeniably intelligent. “Blue” was an interesting take from tobi and did not disappoint. The final track of the EP is “The Fun” which features a funky feeling beat from tobi and Facer. He does some storytelling on this track about getting pulled over by the cops. He says “I’m unarmed but he still gon’ shoot more than likely.” It’s impressive how tobi can touch on some relevant topics on today’s society yet flow like no other. This EP is filled with various topics but sonically sounds fluent. Some of my favorite records from tobi come from this EP. His progression speaks for itself in the music!

In April, we learned that tobi’s debut album would be executively produced by the one and only No I.D. This is a huge accomplishment for tobi lou and his team. No I.D. has worked with countless influential artists including Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nas and many more. In a statement, tobi said, "I don't think I even have the proper word that could legitimately describe how excited I am right now." He went on to say how surreal it is to have things play out the way they are.

Tobi’s debut album is set to be released this summer. The first single is “Troop” featuring Smino and the second will be “Numbers.” Fans of tobi know exactly what song “Numbers” is. The tobi lou crew rave about it on almost every tweet or post made by the artist. A snippet can be heard at the end of the Glassface directed video for “Troop.”