Mr Eazi

Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade (; born 19 July 1991), better known by his stage name Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record executive. He is the pioneer of Banku music, a fusion sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressions and patterns. Mr Eazi relocated to Kumasi in 2008 and enrolled at KNUST, 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-assisted single "Skin Tight". His second mixtape, Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra to Lagos, was released in 2017.

Life and career Early life and education Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade was born in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State. He grew up in an entrepreneurial home and is a member of the Yoruba ethnic group. His mother was a business owner and his father owns a private aviation consulting practice. 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). He also said his business ventures included soft drinks import, gold mining, and food distribution. It yielded the singles "Pipi Dance" and "Bankulize". The former was released in mid-2012, while the latter was released in 2013. The Fader magazine describes the 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". Mr Eazi premiered the remix on Ebro Darden's Beats 1 radio show a month earlier.

In August 2015, Mr Eazi released the dancehall-influenced track "Skin Tight", which features vocals by Efya and was produced by DJ Juls. In an interview with Complex magazine, Mr Eazi described the song as a "fusion". 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 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 Kingsley. Robin Murray of Clash magazine described the song as a "salute to their joint Ghanaian heritage". He 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 Ghana Music Awards made a decision not to nominate Mr Eazi in any of its Ghanaian-only categories. Charterhouse spokesperson George Quaye said Mr Eazi was disqualified because of his nationality and only eligible to compete in the African Artiste of the Year category. 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 he made.

Following his performance at the 2016 Ghana Music Awards, Wizkid announced that he signed Mr Eazi to his imprint Starboy Entertainment. However, the singer told Star FM Ghana that he is not officially signed to Starboy and 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, and debuted at number 4 on the Billboard World Albums chart. The mixtape comprises 14 tracks, including three bonus tracks. Its production was handled by Maleek Berry, Masterkraft, Legendury Beatz, and Young John. Guest artists featured on the mixtape include Tekno, Olamide, Phyno, Mugeez, Medikal, DJ Cuppy, Falz, and Big Lean. Mr Eazi announced on Instagram that the mixtape sold 200,000 copies in pre-orders. 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.

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. He also said it was leaked and wasn't meant to be a single. Music in Africa's contributor Gabriel Myers Hansen described the song as "gentle and minimalist", and said it is "freshened by delicate string and percussion placements reminiscent of highlife from decades ago". Mr Eazi released the mixtape's second single, "Tilapia", on 1 February 2017. It features a rap verse by Ghanaian rapper Medikal. On 1 March 2017, Mr Eazi released the Sesan-directed music video for "In The Morning", which features vocals by Toronto rapper Big Lean. On 1 April 2017, he 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 the Mugeez-assisted track "Business".

2019-present: Coachella, Empawa Africa, and The Evil Genius In January 2019, Vanguard newspaper reported that Mr Eazi would perform at the 2019 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. In August 2019, the singer launched emPawa Africa, a talent incubation initiative designed to nurture and support up-and-coming African artists. Thirty musicians were enrolled in the first edition and received grant and mentorship to scale up their music career. The initiative was supported by YouTube Music.

Mr Eazi released his second Extended Play (EP), Something Else, on 19 February 2021. On 10 June 2022, he released the single "Legalize" via his platform emPawa Africa. Mr Eazi released his debut studio album, The Evil Genius, on 27 October 2023.

Artistry Mr Eazi is known for pioneering Banku music, a sound "characterized by percolating rhythms and laid-back vocal delivered in Ghanaian Pidgin English". They got engaged on 10 April 2022 and married in 2025. A civil ceremony was held in Monaco on 9 May, a traditional Yoruba wedding in Dubai in July, and a church wedding in Reykjavík.

Discography

Studio albums The Evil Genius (2023)

EPs One Day You Will Understand (2020) Something Else (2021) Maison Rouge (2025)

Mixtapes About to Blow (2013) Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra to Lagos (2017) Life Is Eazi, Vol. 2 – Lagos to London (2018)

Singles As lead artist +List of singles, with year released, selected chart positions and certifications Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album UK UKAfr IRE SCO USDance WW "Pipi Dance" 2012 — × — — — — About to Blow"Bankulize" 2013 — × — — — —"Skin Tight" 2015 — × — — — — "Leg Over" 2016 — × — — — 4 BPI: Silver Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra to Lagos"Skin Tight" (UK Remix) 2017 — × — — — — BPI: Silver 2018 18 × 31 41 — — BPI: Platinum 2020 — — — — 11 1 Music Is the Weapon"Lento" — 15 — × — — "Falling for U" 2021 — 17 — × — —"Breakup Riddim" — 19 — × — —"I Wanna Run Away" — — — × 37 —"Walangolo" 2022 — 19 — × — —"Legalize" — 13 — × — — The Evil Genius"Personal Baby" — 18 — × — — "Patek" — — — × — — Chop Life, Vol. 1: Mzansi Chronicles"Patek (remix)" — — — × — — "Chop Time, No Friend" 2023 — — — × — — The Evil Genius"Advice" — — — × — —"Fefe Ne Fefe" — — — × — —"Exit" (feat. Soweto Gospel Choir) — — — × — —"Panadol (Radio Edit)" — — — × — — "For My Head" (feat. Mugeez & D Jay) 2024 — — — × — — "Love Me Now" 2025 — — — × — — "Attention (From F1® The Movie)" — — — × — — F1 the Album "Corny" — — — × — — "Casanova" — — — × — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory."×" denotes that the chart did not exist at the time.

As featured artist +List of singles, with year released, selected chart positions and certifications Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album UK FRA IRE 2017 — × 22 — — — — — Foreign Ororo"All Night" 98 × — — — — — — "Decline" 15 × — — 29 38 — — BPI: Platinum 29 × — — — — — — BPI: Platinum "Let Me Live" 2018 42 × 16 173 43 29 20 — BPI: Silver Toast to Our Differences"Tied Up" — × — — — — 30 — Major Lazer Essentials"Nobody" 2020 — × — — — — — 5 Greatness 2.0"Abracadabra" — 11 — — — — — — Gbagada Express "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory."×" denotes that the chart did not exist at the time.

Other charted and certified songs +List of songs, with year released, selected chart positions and certifications Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album UKAfr US Latin WW 2017 × — — — 7 Life is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos"Miss You" 2018 × 175 — — — Trapop"Como Un Bebé" 2019 × — 55 13 — RIAA: 5× Platinum (Latin) Oasis"Don't Jealous Me" × — — — 12 The Lion King: The Gift"Keys To The Kingdom" × — — — 16"Arcoíris" 2020 × — 23 47 — RIAA: Platinum (Latin) 16 — — — — One Day You Will Understand"E Be Mad" 2021 8 — — — — Something Else"The Don" 7 — — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory."×" denotes that the chart did not exist at the time.

Awards and nominations