Mr Eazi














































Mr Eazi

Mr Eazi.png
A caption from Mr Eazi's 2016 video interview with NdaniTV

Background information
Birth name Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade
Born
(1991-07-19) 19 July 1991 (age 27)
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
Origin
Kumasi, Ghana
Genres


  • Banku Music

  • Afrobeat
Occupation(s)


  • Singer

  • songwriter

  • entrepreneur
Years active 2012–present
Labels


  • Mad Decent

  • Universal
Associated acts


  • DJ Juls

  • Eugy
Website mreazi.com

Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade (born 20 July 1991),[1] better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur.[2] He is the pioneer of Banku music, a fusion sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressions and patterns.[3] Mr Eazi relocated to Kumasi 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 2015 single "Skin Tight".[7] His second mixtape, Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos, was released on 10 February 2017.[8] In March 2018, several outlets reported that Mr Eazi signed a record deal with Diplo's label Mad Decent.[9] Mr Eazi signed a licensing deal with Universal Africa, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.[10]




Contents






  • 1 Music career


    • 1.1 Early life and career beginnings


    • 1.2 2013–2015: About to Blow and other releases


    • 1.3 2016–present: GMA snub, Twitter backlash, Accra to Lagos, and record deal


    • 1.4 Artistry


    • 1.5 Personal life




  • 2 Discography


    • 2.1 Mixtapes




  • 3 Awards and nominations


  • 4 References


  • 5 External links





Music career



Early life and career beginnings


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 they ate breakfast.[11] At age 16, Mr Eazi relocated to Ghana to further his educational endeavors.[5] He enrolled at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi and studied mechanical engineering. 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.[11] 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] Moreover, he told Highsnobiety he started about six business ventures.[11] In 2014, Mr Eazi quit being a club promoter after an artist failed to show up for the largest party he attempted to throw.[11]



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 described the mixtape as a "heavily dancehall-leaning SoundCloud playlist".[4] 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. Within two months of returning to his native country, he was contacted by DJ Juls, a UK-based Ghanaian producer and disc jockey. Juls reached out to him after managing to get 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 found his audio files and emailed 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 features Burna Boy and was released in September 2016.[12] Mr Eazi first premiered the remix on Ebro Darden's Beats 1 radio show a month earlier.[13]


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.[14] 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.[15][16] In April 2017, "Skin Tight" was featured in an ad for the vodka brand Ciroc.[17] 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.[18] The music video for "Dance for Me" was directed by Vertex and Gabriella Kingsely.[19] Robin Murray of Clash magazine described the song as a "salute to their joint Ghanaian heritage".[19] On 17 June 2016, Mr Eazi released the R&B-inspired "Anointing", a song that features rap vocals from Ghanaian rapper Sarkodie.[20] Mr Eazi first announced plans for the song in May 2016.[21]



2016–present: 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.[22] According to George Quaye, a spokesperson for Charterhouse, Mr Eazi was disqualified because of his nationality.[22] Quaye also stated that Mr Eazi was only eligible to compete in the African Artiste of the Year category.[23] 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.[23] On 11 January 2017, Mr Eazi tweeted that Ghanaian music has a great influence over present-day Nigerian music.[24] 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.[25]


Following his performance at the 2016 Ghana Music Awards, Wizkid announced that he signed Mr Eazi to his imprint Starboy Entertainment.[26] 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.[27] 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 Album chart.[28] The mixtape comprises 11 tracks as well as 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.[29] Mr Eazi annonnced via his Instagram account that the mixtape sold 200,000 copies in pre-orders.[30] While speaking to Julie Adenuga on her Beats 1 radio show, Mr Eazi said the mixtape is a tribute to the two cities that influenced the evolution of his sound.[31]


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 the song is about being taken advantage of in a relationship.[7] He also told Burney that 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.[32] 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".[33] On 1 February 2017, Mr Eazi released "Tilapia" as the mixtape's second single. It features vocals from Ghanaian hip hop artist Medikal.[34] 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.[35] On 1 April 2017, Mr Eazi released the Teekay-directed music video for "Fight", a song that features additional vocals from DJ Cuppy.[36] On 7 April 2017, Mr Eazi released the music video for "Business", a song that features vocals from Mugeez of R2Bees.[37]


On January 3, 2019, he was announced alongside Burna Boy to be on the artist lineup in their debut outing on Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.[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 billionaire Femi Otedola and sister to Dj cuppy.[39]



Discography



Mixtapes




  • About to Blow (2013)


  • Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos (2017)


  • Life Is Eazi, Vol 2 - Lagos To London (2018)



Awards and nominations





























































Year
 Event
 Prize
 Recipient
 Result
 Ref
2016
WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards
 Special Recognition Award Music Video Africa
 "Skin Tight"
(featuring Efya)
 Won
 [40]

Soundcity MVP Awards
 Best New Artiste
 Himself
 Won
 [41]
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
 [42]

MOBO Awards
 Best African Act
 Nominated
 [43]


Nigeria Entertainment Awards
 Most Promising Act to Watch
Nominated
 [44]


References





  1. ^ Solanke, Abiola (18 November 2016). "'I'll be working with Wizkid on "Skin tight" remix' singer says on Beats 1". Pulse. Retrieved 30 March 2017..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ abc Muoka, Chidera (4 September 2016). "Mr Eazi – The New Sound of Africa". The Guardian Life. Retrieved 22 March 2017.


  3. ^ abcde Kenner, Rob (13 February 2017). "Introducing Mr Eazi, the OVO and Wizkid Favorite Bringing Afrobeats to the Masses". Complex. Retrieved 22 March 2017.


  4. ^ abc Phiona Okumu (26 April 2017). "Mr Eazi Is West Africa's Newest Superstar". The Fader.


  5. ^ abcdefghijklm Burney, Lawrence (9 November 2016). "Mr. Eazi Wants to Connect a Billion People Through Afrobeats". Noisey. Retrieved 22 March 2017.


  6. ^ abcd Jaguda, Ayo (21 July 2014). "Mr Eazi Presents About To Blow "The Mixtape"". Jaguda. Retrieved 12 April 2017.


  7. ^ abc Burney, Lawrence (10 February 2017). "Watch Mr. Eazi Confess His Love in His "Leg Over" Video". Noisey. Retrieved 9 April 2017.


  8. ^ abc Solanke, Abiola (10 February 2017). "Singer's "Life Is Eazi Vol. 1 - Accra To Lagos" mixtape is out now". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 30 March 2017.


  9. ^ Masiyiwa, Sarah (28 March 2018). "Mr Eazi Has Been Signed to Diplo's Record Label". OkayAfrica.


  10. ^ "Mr Eazi's label signs licensing deal with Universal Africa". The Nation. 16 April 2018.


  11. ^ abcd Smith-Strickland, Stephanie (4 April 2017). "Meet Mr Eazi, the Nigerian Afrobeats Artist Making Global Waves". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 9 April 2017.


  12. ^ "Mr Eazi – Bankulize Remix Ft. Burna Boy (Prod. Juls)". NotJustOk. 19 September 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2017.


  13. ^ "Mr Eazi ft. Burna Boy – Bankulize (Remix)". NotJustOk. 23 August 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2017.


  14. ^ "Mr. Eazi x Juls ft. Efya – Skin Tight". NotJustOK. 10 September 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2017.


  15. ^ Boye, Don (16 September 2016). "DJ Caise – Skin Tight (House Remix)". NotJustOk. Retrieved 13 April 2017.


  16. ^ "Mr Eazi ft. Terry G – Skin Tight (Remix)". NotJustOk. 7 October 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2017.


  17. ^ "Ghana: Mr. Eazi's Song Featured in New Ad for Diddy's Ciroc". Ghana Star. 11 April 2017.


  18. ^ Egbejule, Eromo (21 December 2016). "10 of the biggest African tracks of 2016: Tekno, Babe Wodumo and more". The Guadian. Retrieved 14 April 2017.


  19. ^ ab "Eugy x Mr Eazi - 'Dance For Me'". Clash. 9 August 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017.


  20. ^ Solanke, Abiola. "Mr Eazi - 'Anointing' ft Sarkodie". Pulse. Retrieved 17 June 2016.


  21. ^ Asante, Samuel (30 May 2016). "Ghana: Mr Eazi Announces New Single "Anointing" Featuring Sarkodie". allAfrica. Retrieved 14 April 2017.


  22. ^ ab Mawuli, David (5 March 2016). "2016 VGMA nominations list is an insult to artistry". Pulse. Retrieved 11 April 2017.


  23. ^ ab "VGMA 2016: 'Mr Eazi was disqualified because he's not Ghanaian'". Ghana Web. 2 March 2016.


  24. ^ 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.


  25. ^ Augoye, Jayne (12 January 2017). "Mr Eazi apologises to Nigerians after Twitter backlash". Premium Times. Retrieved 12 April 2017.


  26. ^ "Wizkid signs top Ghanaian singers to StarBoy Worldwide". Premium Times. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2016.


  27. ^ Brown, Marcus (16 July 2017). "Wizkid Never Signed Me To His Starboy Worldwide Label – Mr Eazi". TooXlcusive. Retrieved 18 April 2018.


  28. ^ "Mr Eazi's "Accra To Lagos" Debuts On World Bill Board". The Tide. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.


  29. ^ Kpade, Sabo. "Mr Eazi Connects Ghana & Nigeria Like No One Else In 'Life Is Eazi'". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 31 March 2017.


  30. ^ Salihu, Idoko (27 January 2017). "Mr Eazi announces release date for "Accra to Lagos" EP". Premium Times. Retrieved 31 March 2017.


  31. ^ "MR. EAZI TALKS INSPIRATION BEHIND 'ACCRA TO LAGOS' MIXTAPE ON APPLE'S BEATS1 RADIO". The Native. 10 February 2017.


  32. ^ Dandrige-Lemco, Ben (10 February 2017). "Watch Mr Eazi's "Leg Over" Video Featuring Wizkid And Maleek Berry". The Fader. Retrieved 9 April 2017.


  33. ^ Gabriel Myers Hansen (15 December 2016). "Mr Eazi — Leg Over". Music In Africa. Retrieved 9 April 2017.


  34. ^ Akarefa, Jasper (1 February 2017). "Mr Eazi – Tilapia feat. Medikal (Prod. by Del B)". Daily Post.


  35. ^ Efe, Jasper (6 March 2017). "Mr Eazi – In The Morning feat. Big Lean (Dir. by Sesan)". Daily Post. Retrieved 14 April 2017.


  36. ^ Solanke, Abiola (3 April 2017). "'Fight' ft Cuppy [Video]". Pulse. Retrieved 9 April 2017.


  37. ^ "VIDEO: Mr. Eazi – Business Ft. Mugeez". NotJustOk. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.


  38. ^ adekunle (2019-01-03). "Burna Boy, Mr Eazi to make Coachella debut". Vanguard News Nigeria. Retrieved 2019-01-03.


  39. ^ https://www.pulse.ng/entertainment/celebrities/mr-eazi-singer-celebrates-girlfriend-temi-otedola-on-her-birthday/97w90pw


  40. ^ Junia, Pep (28 December 2016). "Shatta Wale, Mr Eazi win at WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards + FULL LIST". ENews Ghana. Retrieved 14 April 2017.


  41. ^ Johnson, Ayodele (29 December 2016). "See full list of winners". Pulse. Retrieved 14 April 2017.


  42. ^ "Full list of Headies 2016 winners". Vanguard. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2017.


  43. ^ Nankervis, Troy (21 September 2016). "MOBO Awards 2016: Craig David lands two nominations for Best Male Act and Best Song". Metro.


  44. ^ Nankervis, Troy (21 September 2016). "NEA 2016: NEA Awards 2016 Full List of Winners". Naijalyricszone.




External links


  • Official website








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