The Mr Eazi interview

Video director Nana Asihene swings a camera toward and then away from dreadlocked singer Lord Paper, who is shuffling between wooing the light-skinned damsel on his right and gesticulating to the camera. It is a shoot for Paper's video to his single 'Call on Me' featuring Mr Eazi who is absent.

“He is five minutes away,” says my colleague Kwadwo Amoah.

“Shawdy you too fine for this…call on me,” Lord Paper mimes to the sound of his own voice emitting from a speaker nearby.

Asihene nods approvingly and asks all to take five. The crowd clears, the generator dies.

“That’s him,” Amoah points to a blue Hyundai parked on the side of the road. We approach the car as one of its backdoors opens. The crown of his trademark high-top fade is in many colours, and there’s a wooden necklace branded “Eazi” hanging from his neck. He looks dazed—all morning we have heard him on various radio stations across Accra, discussing his recent BET Awards nomination, the Ghana Music Awards scheme, his ongoing tour. It's his schedule since he arrived Ghana: from a radio/TV studio to the set of a video shoot. Still, we too have questions of our own.

Mr Eazi sits and begins to play with his hair. Oluwatosin Ajibade (as he is privately known) needs rest. But Mr Eazi can’t afford to. “I don’t even feel like I work hard enough,” he says.

It is a surprising statement as he has to be among the hardest working African acts—he has recorded several hit singles, lent choruses and verses to others, and is almost always on tour. But there’s more to do. Making an example of StarBoy colleague Wizkid’s ethic in spite of his global reception, he stresses that one cannot afford to be tired, especially if he looks to be consistent in success.

“To stay on top, you have to keep working, and this is the necessary evil. I’ve not had proper sleep for like two weeks but I can’t complain. This is the life I chose. What is interesting is no matter how hard or how long I work, I see the results, so as long as I keep seeing results, I can’t be tired.”

Like Mr Eazi, his fans are witnesses to the rewards of his efforts, the most recent being the BET nomination. Over the past year under review, he has managed as much global presence as fellow nominees in the Best International Act: Africa category: Stonebwoy, Wizkid, Tekno, Davido, AKA, Nasty C, and Babes Wodumo.

Now, more than any other time in history the African sound is being embraced the world over. And at just 25, Mr Eazi has made substantial contribution to the rise of that sound. Banku musik, as he calls his sound, has received wide acceptance.

Named after Ghana local maize staple that is Eazi’s favourite dish, banku musik is primarily a fusion of West African highlife and the vibes of island music rendered in Ghanaian pidgin. Melody is key and even as it is an amalgamation of influences, it is minimalistic and straightforward. Along with the now popular Mr Eazi signatures, “zagadat” and “it’s your boy Eaaaazi”, a peculiar Ghanaian-ness—usually a food item, banku, shitor, tilapia—is inserted into the lyrics of his songs. This Ghanaian feature has become something of a trend, for as he points out many pop songs from the continent have incorporated a piece of Ghana: word, melody, cadence, something.

Mr Eazi had his initial success with 'Bankulize', a track off his 2013 mixtape About to Blow. Before that, he worked as an event promoter on the campuses of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana’s Asahanti Region, where he was studying for his first degree. The record features rapper Pappy Kojo and was produced by the London-based Ghanaian DJ Juls. The singer and producer built a formidable partnership, releasing hit singles like 'Skintight' and 'Anointing', and earning recognition as pioneering forces in a mellow pop wave that has swept the continent.

Even today, one subconsciously assumes DJ Juls produces every new Mr Eazi joint. It is why DJ Juls’ absence from Mr Eazi's EP Accra to Lagos remains significant, as is Mr Eazi's no-show on Juls’ Leap of Faith album. I ask what happened?

“If I put out an album today, and I ask you what songs should be on the album, you’ll say Skintight should be on the album," says Mr Eazi. "I knew it wasn’t time for me to put out an album. With Accra to Lagos, I wanted an experiment.

"I wanted to work with all the producers I’ve ever wanted to work with between Accra and Lagos, and all the artists I’ve ever wanted to work with between Accra to Lagos, and that’s what I did. If you listen to Accra to Lagos, there’s no familiar sound. There’s nothing like 'Skintight', there’s nothing like 'Hol’ Up', there’s nothing like 'Anointing'. It’s different. I’m trying different sounds.”

Mr Eazi does explore various sounds on his EP. Ragga music turns up on 'Two People', there is rap on 'Detty Yaself', and the artist channels Wizkid on 'In the Morning'. “I just wanted to express myself and say: Okay, this is my interpretation of the sounds of Lagos and Accra,” he says.

As for why he isn't on Juls’ record, their different schedules intervened. He says: “I think he sent me a song to do, but I couldn’t record because I was on the road.”

Mr Eazi confesses that whereas he is constantly recording new material, it is not necessarily for an album. He, however, intends to release a second installment of the Life is Eazi project: Lagos to London. And why not? London was among the first places his music started making waves after his success at Ghanaian universities. London has been an indispensable audience; a strong third force in the cities that form his base. As he explains, Lagos to London will represent his interpretations of the sounds of London. The project will see him work with artists and producers from London. Fans may look forward to Juls’ presence upon its release.

Though Mr Eazi’s global reputation grows by the day, he wasn't as successful in the start. 'Bankulize' didn’t properly become a hit until sometime in 2014. 'Skintight', his follow-up featuring Ghanaian chanteuse Efya, and his collaboration with London-based Eugy on the latter’s 'Dance for Me', ended up being the tracks that found a broad audience. 'Skintight' was remixed and covered several times. Even music producer Cobhams Asuquo performed a version.

This year, Mr Eazi looks to stop by at least 50 destinations worldwide in his Life is Eazi–DETTY World Tour. “For me, it’s just like a pastor sharing the word of God," he says. "The gospel is for Jews, Romans, the Gentiles. In the same way, once I have any sort of listenership in a particular location, I go there and service them.”

That service has been instrumental to the establishing of the Mr Eazi kingdom. But the bricks of that kingdom were put in place by Mr Eazi’s fighting spirit. From the streets of Kentinkrono in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, he gradually prepared himself for what was to come. Back then, as a promoter, despite making decent income, he honed his singing and reached out to colleagues like Ghanaian duo R2Bees (Paedae and Mugeez), who kept pushing him to make a sound of his own. He listened. And now what really matters is how far that sound travels.

At the beginning of this year, he told his team that playing a stadium would be the thing. It is set to happen. As he says, dates and deals are being arranged. He may have said it a lot but it's hard to argue: for Mr Eazi, life is indeed easy.

A version of this interview was published by eNewsGH