Mr Eazi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mr Eazi
Eazi new 1.jpg
Mr Eazi in 2021
Born
Oluwatosin Ajibade

(1991-07-19) 19 July 1991 (age 30)
Port Harcourt, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
Other namesDon Eazi
Occupation
  • Singer
  • Songwriter
  • Entrepreneur
Partner(s)Temi Otedola
Musical career
Genres
Years active2012–present
Labels
  • Banku Music
  • emPawa Africa
Associated acts
Websitemreazi.com

Oluwatosin Ajibade (born 19 July 1991),[1] better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur.[2] He is a pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressions and patterns.[3] Mr Eazi relocated to Kumasi, Ghana in 2008 and enrolled at KNUST, where he began booking artists to perform at college parties.[4] He showed interest in music after recording a guest verse on "My Life", a song that gained traction and became a popular record at KNUST.[5] Mr Eazi released his debut mixtape About to Blow in July 2013.[6] He gained an international audience following the release of the Efya-assisted single "Skin Tight".[7] His second mixtape Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos was released on 10 February 2017.[8]


Early life and education[]

Mr Eazi was born in Port Harcourt, the capital and largest city in Rivers State, Nigeria.[5] He grew up in an entrepreneurial home. His mother owned a small business and his father is a pilot. The latter parent established his own private aviation consulting practice.[5] While attending primary school in Lagos, Mr Eazi had a brief stint in the school's choir.[5] During his upbringing, he listened to records his dad would play for the family while having breakfast.[9] At age 16, Mr Eazi relocated to Ghana to further his educational endeavors, enrolling in the mechanical engineering program at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).[5] Mr Eazi started recording music during his time at KNUST. He contributed guest vocals to the track "My Life", a song that gained traction and became a popular record at KNUST. Prior to that, he established a party and promotion company called Swagger Entertainment.[9] He used this platform to book shows and promote events on the campus of KNUST.[5] When he was 23 years old, he returned to Nigeria and opened his own e-commerce platform.[5] Mr Eazi told The Guardian newspaper he briefly worked for Schlumberger when he returned to Nigeria.[2] He also told the aforementioned newspaper his business ventures included soft drinks import, gold mining, and food distribution.[2] He told Highsnobiety he started about six business ventures.[9] In 2014, Mr Eazi quit being a club promoter after an artist failed to show up for the largest party he attempted to throw.[9]

2013–2015: About to Blow and other releases[]

Mr Eazi released his 13-track debut mixtape About to Blow in July 2013.[6] It produced two singles: "Pipi Dance" and "Bankulize". The former was released in mid-2012, while the latter was released in 2013.[6] Mr Eazi recorded the mixtape with producer Klu and released it within a week.[4] The Fader magazine descrie mixtape as a "heavily dancehall-leaning SoundCloud playlist". Prior to releasing the mixtape, Mr Eazi worked with producers such as Magnom, Peeweezle, Nshona, Klumonsta, D'Tunes, and E-Kelly. Moreover, he was featured on Stay Jay's "Baby Lace" and Lousika's "Knockout".[6] In 2014, Mr Eazi relocated to Nigeria. He was contacted by UK-based Ghanaian producer Juls, who got a hold of some of his recordings.[5] Due to not being able to locate the audio files of his old recordings, Mr Eazi's attempt at working with Juls stalled for a long time.[5] Mr Eazi eventually retrieved his audio files and sent them to Juls, who made a new beat and created the artwork for the mixtape's second single "Bankulize".[5] The song features vocals from Ghanaian hiplife artist Pappy Kojo and was released in November 2014.[5] The official remix of "Bankulize" features Burna Boy and was released in September 2016.[10] Mr Eazi premiered the remix on Ebro Darden's Beats 1 radio show a month earlier.[11]

In August 2015, Mr Eazi released the dancehall-influenced track "Skin Tight". It features guest vocals from Ghanaian singer Efya and was produced by DJ Juls.[12] In an interview with Complex magazine, Mr Eazi described the song as a "fusion".[3] He said he spoke Ghanaian pidgin on the delivery and used Nigerian melodies.[3] In August 2016, Nigerian record producer Cobhams Asuquo released a rendition of the song. DJ Caise released a house remix of the song in September 2016, while Terry G collaborated with Mr Eazi to release a remix of the song.[13][14] In April 2017, "Skin Tight" was featured in an ad for the vodka brand Ciroc.[15] Mr Eazi was featured on Eugy's 2016 hit single "Dance for Me". The Guardian newspaper included the song on its list of the 10 biggest African tracks of 2016.[16] The music video for "Dance for Me" was directed by Vertex and Gabriella Kingsely.[17] Robin Murray of Clash magazine described the song as a "salute to their joint Ghanaian heritage".[17] On 17 June 2016, Mr Eazi released the R&B-inspired "Anointing", a song that features rap vocals from Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie.[18] Mr Eazi first announced plans for the song in May 2016.[19]

2016–2017: GMA snub, Twitter backlash, Accra to Lagos, and record deal[]

In February 2016, organizers of the Vodafone-sponsored Ghana Music Awards made a decision not to nominate Mr Eazi in any of its Ghanaian-only categories.[20] According to George Quaye, a spokesperson for Charterhouse, Mr Eazi was disqualified because of his nationality.[20] Quaye also stated that Mr Eazi was only eligible to compete in the African Artiste of the Year category.[21] However, he failed to pick up a nomination in the aforementioned category because the organizers felt that he isn't as big as the other nominees.[21] On 11 January 2017, Mr Eazi tweeted that Ghanaian music has a great influence over present-day Nigerian music.[22] He received heavy backlash after posting the tweet and trended nationwide in both Ghana and Nigeria. On 12 January 2017, Mr Eazi apologized to Nigerians for the comments that he made.[23]

Following his performance at the 2016 Ghana Music Awards, Wizkid announced that he signed Mr Eazi to his imprint Starboy Entertainment.[24] However, Mr Eazi told Star FM Ghana in July 2017 that he is not officially signed to Starboy. He also told Star FM Ghana that he is only in business with the imprint.[25] Mr Eazi's second mixtape, Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos, was released on 10 February 2017.[8] The mixtape was initially scheduled for release on 11 February 2017.[8] It debuted at number 4 on the Billboard World Albums chart.[26] The mixtape comprises 14 tracks, including three bonus tracks. Guest artists featured on the mixtape include Tekno, Olamide, Phyno, Mugeez, Medikal, DJ Cuppy, Falz, and Big Lean. Its production was handled by Maleek Berry, Masterkraft, Legendury Beatz, and Young John.[27] Mr Eazi announced on Instagram that the mixtape sold 200,000 copies in pre-orders.[28] While speaking to Julie Adenuga on her Beats 1 radio show, he said the mixtape is a tribute to the two cities that influenced the evolution of his sound.[29]

The mixtape's lead single "Leg Over" was produced by E-Kelly and released on 2 December 2016. The music video for "Leg Over" features cameo appearances from comedian Eddie Kadi, Maleek Berry, and Wizkid. Mr Eazi told Lawrence Burney from Noisey.com that the song is about being taken advantage of in a relationship.[7] He also said the song was leaked and wasn't meant to be a single.[7] Upon its release in December 2016, "Leg Over" inspired numerous dance videos.[30] Gabriel Myers Hansen, a critic and editor whose review was posted on the Music In Africa website, described the song as "gentle and minimalist". Hansen also said it is "freshened by delicate string and percussion placements reminiscent of highlife from decades ago".[31] On 1 February 2017, Mr Eazi released "Tilapia" as the mixtape's second single. It features vocals from Ghanaian hip hop artist Medikal.[32] On 1 March 2017, Mr Eazi released the Sesan-directed music video for "In The Morning". The song features vocals from Toronto rapper Big Lean.[33] On 1 April 2017, Mr Eazi released the Teekay-directed music video for "Fight", a song that features additional vocals from DJ Cuppy.[34] On 7 April 2017, Mr Eazi released the music video for "Business", a song that features vocals from Mugeez of R2Bees.[35]

2019: Coachella and Empawa Africa[]

In January 2019, it was announced that Mr Eazi will be performing at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[36] In August 2019, Mr Eazi launched emPawa Africa, a talent incubation initiative designed to nurture and support up-and-coming African artists. Thirty musicians would be enrolled in the first edition and would receive grant and mentorship to scale up their music career. The initiative is also supported by YouTube Music.[37]

In January 2021, Ajibade announced his upcoming EP titled Something Else, set for a 19 February release.[38]

Artistry[]

Mr Eazi is known for pioneering Banku music, a sound "characterized by percolating rhythms and laid-back vocal delivered in Ghanaian Pidgin English".[3] Mr Eazi's music largely fits into the category of Afrobeats, a contemporary West African pop genre that marries global pop, highlife, and hip-hop.[3] Mr Eazi's music has been described as having an R&B-like quality reminiscent of artists such as Beres Hammond and Gregory Isaacs.[5] Lawrence Burney from Noisey.com stated that Mr Eazi uses his deep voice to "give ballad-like qualities to dance-forward production".[5]

Personal life[]

Mr Eazi is known to be dating Temi Otedola, daughter of Nigerian multi-millionaire Femi Otedola and sister to DJ Cuppy.[39] [40]

Discography[]

Mixtapes[]

  • About to Blow (2013)
  • Life is Eazi, Vol. 1 - Accra to Lagos (2017)
  • Life is Eazi, Vol. 2 - Lagos to London (2018)

EPs[]

  • One Day You Will Understand (2020)
  • Something Else (2021)

Awards and nominations[]

Year Event Prize Recipient Result Ref
2018 The Headies Hip Hop World Revelation of the Year Himself Nominated
2017 MOBO Awards Best African Act Himself Nominated [41]
Nigeria Entertainment Awards Afropop Male Artist Himself Nominated [42]
2016 WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards Special Recognition Award Music Video Africa "Skin Tight"
(featuring Efya) 		Won [43]
Soundcity MVP Awards Best New Artiste Himself Won [44]
Song of the Year "Hollup"
(featuring Joey B and Dammy Krane) 		Nominated
Viewers Choice Nominated
Listeners Choice "Skin Tight"
(featuring Efya) 		Nominated
The Headies Next Rated Himself Won [45]
MOBO Awards Best African Act Nominated [46]
Nigeria Entertainment Awards Most Promising Act to Watch Won [47]

References[]

  1. ^ Solanke, Abiola (17 November 2016). "'I'll be working with Wizkid on "Skin tight" remix' singer says on Beats 1". Pulse. Archived from the original on 1 April 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c Muoka, Chidera (4 September 2016). "Mr Eazi – The New Sound of Africa". The Guardian Life. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Kenner, Rob (13 February 2017). "Introducing Mr Eazi, the OVO and Wizkid Favorite Bringing Afrobeats to the Masses". Complex. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Phiona Okumu (26 April 2017). "Mr Eazi Is West Africa's Newest Superstar". The Fader. Archived from the original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m Burney, Lawrence (9 November 2016). "Mr. Eazi Wants to Connect a Billion People Through Afrobeats". Noisey. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Jaguda, Ayo (21 July 2014). "Mr Eazi Presents About To Blow "The Mixtape"". Jaguda. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b c Burney, Lawrence (10 February 2017). "Watch Mr. Eazi Confess His Love in His "Leg Over" Video". Noisey. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c Solanke, Abiola (10 February 2017). "Singer's "Life Is Eazi Vol. 1 - Accra To Lagos" mixtape is out now". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2017.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Smith-Strickland, Stephanie (4 April 2017). "Meet Mr Eazi, the Nigerian Afrobeats Artist Making Global Waves". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  10. ^ "Mr Eazi – Bankulize Remix Ft. Burna Boy (Prod. Juls)". NotJustOk. 19 September 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Mr Eazi ft. Burna Boy – Bankulize (Remix)". NotJustOk. 23 August 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Mr. Eazi x Juls ft. Efya – Skin Tight". NotJustOK. 10 September 2015. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  13. ^ Boye, Don (16 September 2016). "DJ Caise – Skin Tight (House Remix)". NotJustOk. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  14. ^ "Mr Eazi ft. Terry G – Skin Tight (Remix)". NotJustOk. 7 October 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  15. ^ "Ghana: Mr. Eazi's Song Featured in New Ad for Diddy's Ciroc". Ghana Star. 11 April 2017. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  16. ^ Egbejule, Eromo (21 December 2016). "10 of the biggest African tracks of 2016: Tekno, Babe Wodumo and more". The Guadian. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b "Eugy x Mr Eazi - 'Dance For Me'". Clash. 9 August 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  18. ^ Solanke, Abiola. "Mr Eazi - 'Anointing' ft Sarkodie". Pulse. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  19. ^ Asante, Samuel (30 May 2016). "Ghana: Mr Eazi Announces New Single "Anointing" Featuring Sarkodie". allAfrica. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Mawuli, David (5 March 2016). "2016 VGMA nominations list is an insult to artistry". Pulse. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b "VGMA 2016: 'Mr Eazi was disqualified because he's not Ghanaian'". Ghana Web. 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  22. ^ Fayyad, Sara (13 January 2017). "Social media's grand finale of Obama-Biden "bromance", Afro-pop star Mr Eazi takes some hard hits, and Egypt trolls "first single mother"". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  23. ^ Augoye, Jayne (12 January 2017). "Mr Eazi apologises to Nigerians after Twitter backlash". Premium Times. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  24. ^ "Wizkid signs top Ghanaian singers to StarBoy Worldwide". Premium Times. 8 May 2016. Archived from the original on 8 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  25. ^ Brown, Marcus (16 July 2017). "Wizkid Never Signed Me To His Starboy Worldwide Label – Mr Eazi". TooXlcusive. Archived from the original on 18 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  26. ^ "Mr Eazi's "Accra To Lagos" Debuts On World Bill Board". The Tide. 3 March 2017. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  27. ^ Kpade, Sabo. "Mr Eazi Connects Ghana & Nigeria Like No One Else In 'Life Is Eazi'". OkayAfrica. Archived from the original on 17 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  28. ^ Salihu, Idoko (27 January 2017). "Mr Eazi announces release date for "Accra to Lagos" EP". Premium Times. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  29. ^ "MR. EAZI TALKS INSPIRATION BEHIND 'ACCRA TO LAGOS' MIXTAPE ON APPLE'S BEATS1 RADIO". The Native. 10 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  30. ^ Dandrige-Lemco, Ben (10 February 2017). "Watch Mr Eazi's "Leg Over" Video Featuring Wizkid And Maleek Berry". The Fader. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  31. ^ Gabriel Myers Hansen (15 December 2016). "Mr Eazi — Leg Over". Music In Africa. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  32. ^ Akarefa, Jasper (1 February 2017). "Mr Eazi – Tilapia feat. Medikal (Prod. by Del B)". Daily Post. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  33. ^ Efe, Jasper (6 March 2017). "Mr Eazi – In The Morning feat. Big Lean (Dir. by Sesan)". Daily Post. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  34. ^ Solanke, Abiola (3 April 2017). "'Fight' ft Cuppy [Video]". Pulse. Archived from the original on 12 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  35. ^ "VIDEO: Mr. Eazi – Business Ft. Mugeez". NotJustOk. 7 April 2017. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  36. ^ adekunle (3 January 2019). "Burna Boy, Mr Eazi to make Coachella debut". Vanguard News Nigeria. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  37. ^ Mwendera, Karen (21 August 2019). "Mr Eazi On A Global Campaign To Mentor And Fund African Artists". Forbes Africa. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  38. ^ Anthony, Smith (28 January 2021). "Mr Eazi Announces New EP, Shares New Song: Listen". . Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  39. ^ "Singer celebrates girlfriend, Temi Otedola on her birthday". Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  40. ^ "Mr Eazi's Father Talks About Him". Archived from the original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  41. ^ "2017 MOBO AWARDS NOMINATIONS: GET THE FULL LIST NOW". MOBO. 16 October 2017. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  42. ^ "NIGERIA ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS 2017 FULL NOMINEES LIST". 22 August 2017. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  43. ^ Junia, Pep (28 December 2016). "Shatta Wale, Mr Eazi win at WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards + FULL LIST". ENews Ghana. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  44. ^ Johnson, Ayodele (29 December 2016). "See full list of winners". Pulse. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  45. ^ "Full list of Headies 2016 winners". Vanguard. 23 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  46. ^ Nankervis, Troy (21 September 2016). "MOBO Awards 2016: Craig David lands two nominations for Best Male Act and Best Song". Metro. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  47. ^ "Adekunle Gold, Olamide, Kiss Daniel, others win big". Pulse Nigeria. 6 September 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.

External links[]

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