ISSUE#20 

"creators issue"

(from concept to reality)

featuring...

tomi tribe

Written by: Nubian Princess

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Interview by: Nubian Princess: 

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DSRPT.: What inspired you to pursue a career in fashion and design?

Tomi: “The love for getting fresh, the love for the way clothes look, the way different designs and proportions on different body types, you know, just the aesthetic pleasure of it really, I enjoy it.”

DSRPT.:With so many clothing brands being out right now, how do y’all keep “FreshIAm” designs unique?

Tomi: “Well the designs, my partner (Tunde) designs them so we keep them unique because we like a lot of the same things. We try to do what’s not really the mainstream type of thing. We’re not chasing any fads, we’re not chasing any “oh this is hot right now”, we’re just doing what we believe is good and again the aesthetics type of thing. We’re really big on aesthetics, making sure things have a distinct look, things are very clean, things are very well done so the look is always going to be clean no matter what we’re putting together or presenting.”

DSRPT.:To you, what’s the most challenging part of being a creative in today’s world?

Tomi: “Just being able to get out all of your ideas you know sticking to budgets. I think every creative has a million ideas and a million things they want to do but obviously we’re limited to budgets, we’re limited to resources and things like that. As you unlock different levels and careers obviously the resources and budgets get bigger or more accessible but really I think that’s really the biggest challenge. As long as you’re doing what you love nothings going to really be challenging or the challenge is going to be a good challenge.”

DSRPT.:List 3 things that describe your creative process.

Tomi: Music. “When I go into my creative process and try to put something together whether it’s putting a set together whether it’s putting an outfit together or, whether it’s putting an event together, the music has to be set right. I have to be listening to music. Obviously smoking weed when creating is always great. That’s one of the aids in my creation process. Good energy, a lot of what we do we create with other people, like I said I have a partner so he’s designing, he’s creating, we’re strategizing, we’re thinking so I enjoy his energy, he enjoys my energy so the environment is good. We can smoke, we can listen to music, and we can create.”

DSRPT.:How important has “Triibe Viibes” been to the community out here in LA and what do you hope people gain from the experience?

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Tomi: “Triibe Viibes has been even important to my understanding of what I can do in the community. When I started it, it was more so “yo let’s start throwing parties because that’s the next evolution as a DJ” but then being a consistent place and hub and community for people to listen to Afrobeats and not just tucked away in some corner in some random city, we’re in either Hollywood, we’re in Downtown, we’re in Beverly Hills, we’re in spaces that we as in color of skin usually aren’t even at, and then if we are in those places it definitely wasn’t African music. So being able to do that and just represent for the culture, share the culture with people but then those who already know the culture for them to enjoy the culture.”

DSRPT.:With being a DJ, you obviously get to play tons of music and with Afrobeats being so popular right now, what’s been your favorite part about Afrobeats taking over the music industry?

Tomi: “I just feel like it’s giving a new perspective on Africa in general. Right now I look at it as the number one export from Africa so that has now changed the narrative of what Africa is, what Africa can be, how people in Africa are living. Afrobeats being the biggest export, we’re able to see the videos, the lifestyle, the concerts. You have so many musicians from even the west and the UK coming to Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, all these places so they’re even enjoying it themselves and showing the rest of the world, especially us here in the US that this place is actually not what you thought it was. I feel like that’s definitely been the best part of Afrobeats really being a prominent music genre right now and I feel like it’s always going to be that because it’s good music. It’s good music in the sense of it’s positive music, it’s talking about love, it’s talking about enjoying, it’s talking about partying.”

DSRPT.:How does your environment influence your work?

Tomi: “Immensely, but I try to always be in a lot of different environments. Everyone likes to travel we know that but for me I enjoy going to Africa. I spend at least, when I look throughout the year, at least 2 months or so in Africa, between Ghana and between Nigeria so that influences me a lot especially present day because I’m seeing first hand what is molding in Africa and what is changing…I’m able to be on the ground and touch the soil so for me Africa is the future.”

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DSRPT.:Share a moment or experience that shaped your journey as a creator.

Tomi: “I did ComplexCon for McDonalds, this was probably 4 or 5 years ago now. They were pushing some cultural activation, McDonalds for different cultures and different genres of music and things like that. That showed me there’s different styles of DJ’s and different calibers of DJ’s. You can be a DJ that does cool parties here and there but you can also be a corporate DJ, this is a whole different lane over here and not only that, you can then also be an event DJ so it kind of really just got my mind racing. It let me understand that I have to diversify even just within DJ category alone.”

DSRPT.:Can you name a few artists, creators, or individuals that have influenced your work?

Tomi: “I’ll definitely say the typical Pharrell, Jay-Z, Kanye. But really all of them, it’s never just been one. I say they influence my work because to me, growing up watching a lot of these— I’ll say the golden years old hip-hop, to me it just showed me a black guy could do this kind of cool stuff, this is creative, this is art.

DSRPT.:What’s one piece of advice you’d give to your past self when you were first starting out?

Tomi: “The same thing I tell myself everyday, really just to invest in yourself. Just keep investing in yourself. Everything I aspire to do is just investing back in myself.

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Quick Quotes

“I listen to everything… I love listening to old hip-hop from the 2000’s but I also love rock and chill vibes, I also love a lot, a lot of Larry June… a lot of old school Wiz Khalifia.”

“Good energy, some good weed and some music to set vibe. That’s what aids my creation process.”

“Afrobeat music isn’t music like drill music, it doesn’t put anyone down, there’s no beef to it. They’re just making music, good music because African music is good music.”

“Especially Nigerians, we are big on celebrations and parties and weddings and just big celebrations, that’s where the inspiration from Afrobeats and music comes from, it’s just in our culture. The music we’re making is for people to dance and for that to happen you can’t be making negative music.”

“We are big on celebrations and parties and weddings and just big celebrations, that’s where the inspiration from Afrobeats and music comes from, it’s just in our culture. The music we’re making is for people to dance and for that to happen you can’t be making negative music.”

“Just really being in Africa is kind of like when people say you’re going to the source of something… being in Africa is like that so that just influences literally all my creativity, it influences everything I’m trying to do as far as movements.”

“The same thing I would’ve said back then, I would’ve said right now, just keep investing in yourself, there’s no magic to it.”

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