Mr Eazi
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Oluwatosin Ajibade (born 19 July 1991), better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian-born, Ghana-based singer. He is a pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian
highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (British colony), history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions ...
and Nigerian chord progressions and patterns. Mr Eazi relocated to
Kumasi Kumasi (historically spelled Comassie or Coomassie, usually spelled Kumase in Twi) is a city in the Ashanti Region, and is among the largest metropolitan areas in Ghana. Kumasi is located in a rain forest region near Lake Bosomtwe, and is the ...
, Ghana in 2008 and enrolled at
KNUST , mottoeng = The knot of wisdom is untied only by the wise , established = 1952;
, where he began booking artists to perform at college parties. 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. Mr Eazi released his debut mixtape ''About to Blow'' in 2013. He gained an international audience following the release of the
Efya Jane Awindor (born April 10, 1987), better known by her stage name Efya, is a Ghanaian singer, songwriter, and actress from Kumasi. She is the daughter of Nana Adwoa Awindor, a filmmaker and celebrity host of the late television show ''Greetings ...
-assisted single "Skin Tight". His second mixtape ''Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos'' was released in 2017.


Early life and education

Mr Eazi was born in Port Harcourt, the capital and largest city in
Rivers State Rivers State, also known as Rivers, is a state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed in 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include: Imo to the north, Abia and Akwa Ib ...
, Nigeria. 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. While attending primary school in Lagos, Mr Eazi had a brief stint in the school's choir. During his upbringing, he listened to records his dad would play for the family while having breakfast. At age 16, Mr Eazi relocated to
Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
to further his educational endeavors, enrolling in the mechanical engineering program at
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is a public University of Ghana that focuses on science and technology. The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is the public university established in the country, as well a ...
(KNUST). 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. He used this platform to book shows and promote events on the campus of KNUST. When he was 23 years old, he returned to Nigeria and opened his own e-commerce platform. Mr Eazi told ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' newspaper he briefly worked for
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when he returned to Nigeria. He also told the aforementioned newspaper his business ventures included soft drinks import,
gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold resources by mining. Historically, mining gold from alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. However, with the expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface ...
, and food distribution. He told ''Highsnobiety'' he started about six business ventures. In 2014, Mr Eazi quit being a club promoter after an artist failed to show up for the largest party he attempted to throw. On 7 June 2022, he graduated from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
in
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, USA.


2013–2015: ''About to Blow'' and other releases

Mr Eazi released his 13-track debut mixtape ''About to Blow'' in July 2013. It produced two singles: "Pipi Dance" and "Bankulize". The former was released in mid-2012, while the latter was released in 2013. Mr Eazi recorded the mixtape with producer Klu and released it within a week. ''
The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...
'' 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 Adesanya Doyinsola, better known as D'Tunes, is a multi award-winning music producer, CEO Difference Entertainment, Visionary, arts and fashion enthusiast. He was affiliated with Made Men Music Group and currently has a record label called Differe ...
, and E-Kelly. Moreover, he was featured on Stay Jay's "Baby Lace" and Lousika's "Knockout". 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. 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. 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". The song features vocals from Ghanaian hiplife artist
Pappy Kojo Jason Gaisie (born 13 February 1989), popularly known as Pappy Kojo, is a Ghanaian hip hop and hiplife recording artist from Takoradi. He is well known for his hit single "Realer No". Early life and education Jason Gaisie was born on 13 Feb ...
and was released in November 2014. The official remix of "Bankulize" features
Burna Boy Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He rose to stardom in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album, '' L.I ...
and was released in September 2016. Mr Eazi premiered the remix on
Ebro Darden Ibrahim Jamil "Ebro" Darden (born March 17, 1975) is an American radio personality, broadcaster, and DJ. Until 2014, he was Vice President of Programming for Emmis Communications' New York contemporary urban station WQHT (Hot 97). He is current ...
's Beats 1 radio show a month earlier. In August 2015, Mr Eazi released the dancehall-influenced track "Skin Tight". It features guest vocals from Ghanaian singer
Efya Jane Awindor (born April 10, 1987), better known by her stage name Efya, is a Ghanaian singer, songwriter, and actress from Kumasi. She is the daughter of Nana Adwoa Awindor, a filmmaker and celebrity host of the late television show ''Greetings ...
and was produced by DJ Juls. In an interview with ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' magazine, Mr Eazi described the song as a "fusion". He said he spoke Ghanaian pidgin on the delivery and used Nigerian melodies. In August 2016, Nigerian record producer
Cobhams Asuquo Cobhams Asuquo ( Efik pronunciation: ) (born January 6, 1981) is a Nigerian musician, producer, and songwriter. In 2005, Asuquo was signed on with Sony ATV London as a songwriter. After working as Head of Audio Productions at a local label, Que ...
released a rendition of the song.
DJ Caise Derin Phillips, better known as DJ Caise (pronounced as "Case"), is a Nigerian disc jockey. Life and music career DJ Caise was born to the family of Mr & Mrs Phillips. His maternal grandfather, the late Chief Antonio Deinde Fernandez, was a Ni ...
released a house remix of the song in September 2016, while
Terry G Gabriel Oche Amanyi (born March 17,1986), popularly known by his stage name Terry G, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record executive. He is widely known for his eccentric dress-sense, controversial lyrics and awkward identity. He ...
collaborated with Mr Eazi to release a remix of the song. In April 2017, "Skin Tight" was featured in an ad for the vodka brand Ciroc. Mr Eazi was featured on Eugy's 2016 hit single "Dance for Me". ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' newspaper included the song on its list of the 10 biggest African tracks of 2016. The music video for "Dance for Me" was directed by Vertex and Gabriella Kingsely. Robin Murray of ''Clash'' magazine described the song as a "salute to their joint Ghanaian heritage". On 17 June 2016, Mr Eazi released the R&B-inspired "Anointing", a song that features rap vocals from Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie. Mr Eazi first announced plans for the song in May 2016.


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

In February 2016, organizers of the Vodafone-sponsored
Ghana Music Awards The Ghana Music Awards, currently known as the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music awards event in Ghana established in 1999 by a local event organizer and planner company known as CharterHouse to origi ...
made a decision not to nominate Mr Eazi in any of its Ghanaian-only categories. According to George Quaye, a spokesperson for Charterhouse, Mr Eazi was disqualified because of his nationality. Quaye also stated that Mr Eazi was only eligible to compete in the African Artiste of the Year category. 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. On 11 January 2017, Mr Eazi tweeted that Ghanaian music has a great influence over present-day Nigerian music. 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. Following his performance at the 2016 Ghana Music Awards, Wizkid announced that he signed Mr Eazi to his imprint Starboy Entertainment. 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. Mr Eazi's second mixtape, ''Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos'', was released on 10 February 2017. The mixtape was initially scheduled for release on 11 February 2017. It debuted at number 4 on the ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' World Albums chart. The mixtape comprises 14 tracks, including three bonus tracks. Guest artists featured on the mixtape include Tekno, Olamide,
Phyno Chibuzor Nelson Azubuike (born 9 October 1986), populary known as Phyno Fino, is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He started his music career as a producer in 2003, and is renowned for rapping in the Igbo language. His ...
, Mugeez, Medikal,
DJ Cuppy Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola (born 11 November 1992), professionally known as DJ Cuppy, or simply Cuppy, is a Nigerian disc jockey and producer. She is the daughter of Nigerian businessman Femi Otedola. She grew up in Lagos and moved to London at ...
,
Falz Folarin Falana (born 27 October 1990), better known by his stage name Falz, is a Nigerian rapper, songwriter and actor who began his career while in secondary school after forming a group called The School Boys with his friend before his profe ...
, and
Big Lean Lorenzo Lee-Jae Wright (born February 11, 1989), better known by his stage name Big Lean, is a Canadian rapper and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Lean began making music in 2008, two years after his friend and rapper Blits was shot dead as he ...
. Its production was handled by
Maleek Berry Maleek Shoyebi (born 11 August 1987), professionally known as Maleek Berry, is a British-Nigerian record producer and recording artist. After his break into the spotlight in 2012, Maleek Berry was nominated as "Music Producer of the Year" at the ...
, Masterkraft,
Legendury Beatz Legendury Beatz (pronounced Legen-dury Beat-z) is a Nigerian record producing and songwriting duo, composed of siblings Uzezi Oniko (born 17 February 1986) and Okiemute Oniko (born 27 May 1989). Their production style is deeply rooted in afrob ...
, and
Young John Young Jonn is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer, currently signed to Chocolate City Music. He is also famed for his hit singles Dada and the remix with Davido. Before his full transition into songwriting, he had music production ...
. Mr Eazi announced on Instagram that the mixtape sold 200,000 copies in pre-orders. While speaking to
Julie Adenuga Julie Oluwatoyin Chidozie Adenuga (born 15 July 1988) is a British broadcaster, radio host and the creator of Don't Trust The Internet. She was one of the three lead DJs for Beats 1, Apple Inc., Apple's 24/7 radio station as part of Apple Music. ...
on her Beats 1 radio show, he said the mixtape is a tribute to the two cities that influenced the evolution of his sound. 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 Eddie Kadi (born 18 May 1983 in Kinshasa) is a British-Congolese comedian, presenter and actor. Early life A resident of South-West London since 1992, he is a past student of Fulham Primary School, Henry Compton Secondary School, William Morris ...
,
Maleek Berry Maleek Shoyebi (born 11 August 1987), professionally known as Maleek Berry, is a British-Nigerian record producer and recording artist. After his break into the spotlight in 2012, Maleek Berry was nominated as "Music Producer of the Year" at the ...
, and Wizkid. Mr Eazi told Lawrence Burney from Noisey.com that the song is about being taken advantage of in a relationship. He also said the song was leaked and wasn't meant to be a single. Upon its release in December 2016, "Leg Over" inspired numerous dance videos. 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". On 1 February 2017, Mr Eazi released "Tilapia" as the mixtape's second single. It features vocals from Ghanaian hip hop artist Medikal. 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 Lorenzo Lee-Jae Wright (born February 11, 1989), better known by his stage name Big Lean, is a Canadian rapper and songwriter from Toronto, Ontario. Lean began making music in 2008, two years after his friend and rapper Blits was shot dead as he ...
. On 1 April 2017, Mr Eazi released the Teekay-directed music video for "Fight", a song that features additional vocals from DJ Cuppy. On 7 April 2017, Mr Eazi released the music video for "Business", a song that features vocals from Mugeez of
R2Bees R2Bees is a Ghanaian hip hop and hiplife duo from Tema made up of two cousins, Faisal Hakeem and Rashid Mugeez. They were nominated at the 2013 BET Awards. In March 2019, the duo released their third studio album ''Site 15''. Career 2007–2 ...
.


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 The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...
. 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 YouTube Music is a music streaming service developed by YouTube, a subsidiary of Google. It provides a tailored interface for the service, oriented towards music streaming, allowing users to browse through songs and music videos on YouTube based ...
. In January 2021, Ajibade announced his upcoming EP titled ''Something Else'', set for a 19 February release. On 10 June 2022, Eazi released "
Legalize Legalization is the process of removing a legal prohibition against something which is currently not legal. Legalization is a process often applied to what are regarded, by those working towards legalization, as victimless crimes, of which one ...
", through
emPawa Africa emPawa Africa (pronounced emPower Africa), headquartered in Lagos, is an African talent incubation enterprise, known for nurturing and supporting up-and-coming artistes. It offers mentorship to 100 African artistes yearly, with a $3,000 (dollars) ...
.


Artistry

Mr Eazi is known for pioneering Banku music, a sound "characterized by percolating rhythms and laid-back vocal delivered in
Ghanaian Pidgin English Ghanaian Pidgin English (GhaPE), is a Ghanaian English-lexifier pidgin also known as Pidgin, Broken English, and Kru English (''kroo brofo'' in Akan). GhaPE is a regional variety of West African Pidgin English spoken in Ghana, predominantly in ...
". Mr Eazi's music largely fits into the category of
Afrobeats Afrobeats (not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing), or Afro-pop or Afro-fusion (or Afropop or Afrofusion), is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and ...
, a contemporary West African pop genre that marries global pop,
Dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...
,
highlife Highlife is a music genre that started in present-day Ghana in the 19th century, during its Gold Coast (British colony), history as a colony of the British Empire and through its trade routes in coastal areas. It describes multiple local fusions ...
, and hip-hop. Mr Eazi's music has been described as having an R&B-like quality reminiscent of artists such as
Beres Hammond Beres Hammond OJ (born Hugh Beresford Hammond; 28 August 1955, in Annotto Bay, Saint Mary, Jamaica)Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall'', Greenwood Press, , p. ...
and
Gregory Isaacs Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD (15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)Thompson, p. 127. was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in ''The New York Times'', described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".Miles, Milo (1992),RECORDI ...
. Lawrence Burney from Noisey.com stated that Mr Eazi uses his deep voice to "give ballad-like qualities to dance-forward production".


Personal life

Mr Eazi is known to be dating Temi Otedola, daughter of Nigerian billionaire
Femi Otedola Femi Otedola (born 4 November 1962) is a Nigerian businessman, philanthropist, and former chairman of Forte Oil PLC, an importer of fuel products. Otedola is the founder of Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd, and the owner of a number of other busin ...
and sister to
DJ Cuppy Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola (born 11 November 1992), professionally known as DJ Cuppy, or simply Cuppy, is a Nigerian disc jockey and producer. She is the daughter of Nigerian businessman Femi Otedola. She grew up in Lagos and moved to London at ...
. On 10 April 2022, Mr Eazi engaged Temi Otedola.


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)


Singles


As lead artist


As featured artist


Other charted and certified songs


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Eazi, Mr Living people 1991 births 21st-century Nigerian male singers Singers from Port Harcourt Yoruba musicians Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology alumni English-language singers from Nigeria Nigerian businesspeople Yoruba businesspeople Businesspeople from Rivers State Mad Decent artists