Eazy talks about inspiration, entrepreneurship, and boredom.

Afrobeats icon Oluwatosin Ajibade, better known as Mr. Easy, is always busy.

One of the most streamed African artists in the world, the Grammy Award-winning musician and serial entrepreneur was named to Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 list in 2018 and has been on the decline ever since. not.

Mr. Eazi’s music journey is a bit unusual, as the Nigerian-born artist initially turned to music as a hobby, as a means of escaping the pressures of school and the endeavors of many entrepreneurs.

In 2019, Eazi founded emPawa Africa, a label and publishing company dedicated to developing and supporting African artists. Three years later, Eazi launched Zagadat Capital, an investment fund that invests primarily in companies founded in Africa.

For his 2023 album, The Evil Genius, Mr. Eazi commissioned various African artists to create pieces to match all 16 songs on the album, translating the energy of his music into physical works of art.

Eazi spoke to me about the creative process behind “The Evil Genius,” his insatiable urge to create, invest, and collaborate, and the importance of having fun.

What is your source of energy?

I’m not going to lie, I’m extremely bored. Music was the first time I did just one thing for her. For two years in a row, from 2016 to 2018, I just focused on music. I think music helped me control my boredom.

I’m trying to get better at finding hobbies, but the way my brain works is that when I start seeing problems and solutions, I’m tempted to take on another adventure.

I guess I just love the journey of coming up with an idea and seeing it become something.

Do you consider yourself an entrepreneur or an artist?

In a way, at least for me, I think of it as one thing because one cannot live without the other. Lately, I’ve been streamlining my business activities with a focus on entertainment, and everything has become like a connected flywheel.

When I invest in a film director’s work, I’m the entrepreneur making the investment, but I might also score the music and come up with the ideas.

For example, everyone who approaches me about investing in a film doesn’t want me to be in the project just for the money. “We think you’ll understand what we’re trying to achieve as creators, and you’ll know where to put the brakes on and where to bring your ideas to the table,” they say.

Are you currently working on an entrepreneurial project?

What I’m working on now is building around African entertainment. I’ve been obsessed with this for a while.I took Anita with me. [Elberse]A course at Harvard University where you study the business of entertainment media and sports and see how it’s done in America.

In this course, I learned about Disney, learned about the NBA, and many other fields. I am committed to bringing everything under one umbrella and starting to invest more actively in African sports.

We are currently researching and finalizing our investment strategy and have already started investing. For example, the Cape Town Tigers sponsor Rayon Sports, Rwanda’s largest soccer team.

I am an investor in the Ghanaian Amateur Boxing League. Now, every other week he is watched by 5,000 people. I don’t understand the business of boxing, but I’m just excited about figuring out how to combine movies, music, sports, games, etc. all together.

Africa has a lot of untapped creative potential, but it is actually held back by finance. There was an exploitative scenario.

There are many stories to be told. I get to make a lot of films, work with a lot of artists, and stay in that creative environment while still being able to provide value to investors and develop African talent and these industries in the process. . It’s a lot of work.

That’s what excites me. Because I feel like I can do this for the rest of my life.

How has your approach to music production changed over the years as you have become more successful?

It started to become more like a job than a hobby. Especially the expectations from the fans, it’s like we have an obligation to release this album and tour.

My brain started thinking, “How do we bring this to market?” There are teams that have to pay. This isn’t just a game. Because I have a responsibility to everyone who believes in me.

Once I started, the fun returned. [emPawa Africa] And I started signing artists. I was able to live through them, especially when the artist was still unknown. It’s the purity of creativity.

I’m not trying to make this song sell a billion records. We’re just doing development. So I fell in love again.

That’s why with The Evil Genius, I started to have a new relationship with music and began to think of it like my diary. Music was my canvas. I never wanted to quit.

I was literally going to the studio every day. I recorded so many songs that I didn’t even want to send them for mixing or mastering. For me it was just jotting down my thoughts. My team had to ask me, “Are you trying to make a forever album?”

The album’s artwork gave me a new sense of expression. Being able to capture all these emotions within a physical song, and not just an instrument, was just magic for me.

I’m grateful to have found a new kind of journey in music, especially when I thought I’d seen it all.

Do you feel inspired by mentoring these young artists?

It’s an inspiration, but also a recognition of the skills I have. Especially since I never said I wanted to be an artist. I was doing this to distract myself from the active thoughts of being an entrepreneur.

This was my escape, so if your escape suddenly turns into this career with all these fans and expectations, there’s probably no way out of that madness, maybe it’s… You start to feel like maybe it was a fluke.

Then you begin to see how those skills can be used to teach new artists. Rather than mentoring in the sense of giving advice, we actually create the sound together with the artists and select songs that we think are good. It rejuvenates you.

It’s not just a coincidence, it’s like the recognition that there is something there.

The creative process behind ‘The Evil Genius’

In 2020, Eazy realized the similarities behind the creative process of painting and his own approach to music production. Some artists listened to music while working, inspired by the energy of the songs.

Mr. Easy, who was staying at a hotel in Cotonou, Benin, was shocked by the work of Benin painter Patricorelle. He had just recorded “Legalize” and found that the song perfectly reflected the emotion of the song.

After contacting Patricorelle, Mr. Eazi realized that physical artwork could provide an accompanying piece to the songs on “The Evil Genius,” and realized that “someone could use my music without me having to tell them what the music was about.” I started commissioning artists with the idea that people could listen to music. It was about. Just draw feelings and emotions. ”

Eazi describes the deep creative collaborations between himself and artists who often surprised him with their interpretations of his music.

Which interpretation did you find most surprising and thought-provoking?

The first thing that comes to mind is Tesprit’s work. He uses discarded flip-flops to work, and said he was inspired by the song “Mandela.”

he found this photo [Nelson] Mandela and the child on his lap, and he had a vision of me and my father.

As we talked about inspiration, I realized that even though I didn’t have a passionate speaking relationship with my father, I had a kind of deep, spiritual admiration for him.

We may not go to soccer games together every Sunday, but my father expressed the deep feelings I had for him that I hadn’t even expressed to myself. was heard during the part of the song that says “Baba Tri Me”. Jaja Gubera, Kin Ma Larokoba – Father, please stand up and fight for me so that I don’t fall into this pit. ”

Not to be too extreme, but I think of my father as a God-like figure who makes sacrifices for you. physical, financial, and emotional sacrifices. Share your wisdom and also share your vulnerabilities.

He is not God in the sense of omnipotence, but he is very approachable.

Will he be vulnerable like Jesus?

That’s true, but I didn’t want to say it because I didn’t want to be quoted. [laughs].

One of the most personal songs on the album, Olúwa Jọ̀, is dedicated to your mother. What did she think about it?

First, she was happy because it was gospel music. She heard the chorus and she wanted me to do gospel music.

It was really cool for her because it was the first time she heard her voice on a music recording. I think she was so excited that she missed her emotion in the song.

I remember listening to that song all the time on the train from Paris to London. I had to dry my eyes so no one would notice that I was crying, but it was very emotional for me. It’s such a short song that I probably listened to it at least 100 times during that trip.

I will always cherish that song, it is my gift to her. That picture is one of my favorites.

Are you thinking of working on another personal album?

not now. Not now. I started a group with my friend DJ Edu and his called ChopLife SoundSystem. That was the energy I felt after making The Evil Genius. I just wanted to party.

This is more of a curatorial role. I went to South Africa with my first album, Mzansi Chronicles. I stayed in Cape Town for 30 days and invited all the producers. It was like I picked the beat and I was a mad scientist and mixed it and had the two of us collaborate.

There was no pressure that comes with making music because I was just having fun. It’s not Eazy’s album.

ChopLife’s next album is going to be called “Lagos Traffic” and we are going to Lagos tomorrow. When I release an album, I want to work with the artist.

One of the things I was trying to do last year was to have a party at a gallery. Find unique pieces, display your artwork digitally or physically, and play music with your ChopLife SoundSystem mask.

We’re working with an amazing artist called Dennis Osadebe to create the masks, and we’ve also created a 3D version, which will also be on display. At the party, people wore masks, similar to African masks used at festivals.

When I’m making music for this ChopLife, I don’t care about anything. I just care about having fun. That’s what the mask represents. This is a mask where nothing else matters except this freedom you feel.

Can you become a different character by wearing a mask?

That’s it – it makes you “Mr.” Chop life. ”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity