Celebrities are humans first, you know? In the grand scheme of things, they are only individuals striving to live their best lives, showcasing their creativity while making money, and spreading as much love as possible, some of the things that made them famous in the first place.
To an average LinkedIn user, Ajibade Oluwatosin (his profile name as of the time I reached out) is just a “Global superstar and VC.” A cursory glance won’t reveal that he’s the popular Mr Eazi.
I only figured it out a few weeks ago when one of my contacts liked one of his posts. I wasted no time sending a connection request, which he accepted rather quickly.
“What do I do with this new connection,” I asked myself.
I remembered that Mr Eazi’s emPawa Africa, a talent incubator, was instrumental in placing Joeboy in the limelight. That was when I concluded he would be a good fit for the Techpoint Africa Experts series. I sent him a message, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Mr Eazi had just returned from an engagement on the evening we’d scheduled our talk and needed a moment to catch his breath, which he did in record time.
Shortly after, we exchanged pleasantries, and the stage was set for a somewhat friendly conversation; his mood, best described as calm.
Seeing Mr Eazi very relaxed was quite the revelation because his demeanour was not too different from his public appearances and videos. I guess I expected a contrasting personality, as is often the case with artistes.
I got the thoughts of one of his fans while writing this.
“I think Mr Eazi is a laid back musician. He’s very African and indigenous and relates a lot with his roots.”
Oluwatosin said it was easy to build a persona around the name Mr Eazi, which was the nickname his friends in university gave him.
“I think the nickname is just an expression of who I am. I like to live calmly,” he shared.
And this calm personality seems to be reflected in every part of his life. Expectedly, though, he takes on a new life when he has to match his fans’ energy and excitement at shows and events.
Since gaining popularity, Mr Eazi’s reputation has grown in leaps and bounds, preceding him even beyond the music scene.
There was a funny moment. as we spoke. when he revealed his spontaneity and unpredictability. What do you think about Don Eazi as president of any nation or Pastor Eazi?
Thirty-year-old Oluwatosin lived his early years in Sango Otta, Ogun State. The Nigeria-born musician later relocated to Ghana for his undergraduate studies before starting his music career in London.
Given his ardent local and global following, Mr Eazi’s name and content mostly scream ‘Afrobeats to the world!’ since he came into the music industry a few years back.
He believes Africa is experiencing its best years in the global music industry, with many of its music genres being embraced globally.
Motivation and obsession – Mr Eazi
Oluwatosin Ajibade (Mr Eazi). Source: Supplied. A look at the mark the young artiste has made in a short time shows that he is clearly motivated.
“I’m someone who is fascinated with seeing ideas come to life. There’s some form of joy that comes from conceiving an idea and seeing it come to life.”
Strangely, in an industry where one can make tons of money, his excitement mostly comes from creating music in the studio; the monetary value of the music produced is secondary in his books.
As with most success stories, there’s some history. Oluwatosin’s career track hasn’t always been straightforward. A mechanical engineering graduate, Oluwatosin traded FMCGs and gold before deciding to stick to music.
His friends crowdfunded $1,000 for him to shoot his first video. And in an interview with Coachella in 2019, he said his current achievements wouldn’t have been possible without their show of largesse.
This perhaps explains his strong commitment to investing in up-and-coming talents in Africa, nurturing them along their path.
Apparently, music has always been a hobby for Mr Eazi. This explains his interest in many other business ventures for which he has justifications.
“You see,” he said, “the similarities between a musician or a creative as a startup and a business became very glaring to me; it’s almost the same thing.”
He compared a founder pitching their idea to a creative coming forward to sell their unique product. In hindsight, this understanding is what has guided him towards success in every venture he has undertaken.
Mr Eazi also has an obsession, and you get no prizes for guessing that it is linked to the creative.
“I’ve been driven by freedom, and I’ve been obsessed with this from early in life.”
In context, it was the entrepreneurship spirit. Oluwatosin wanted to have the creative freedom to try his hands on anything he put his mind to.
“Entrepreneurship truly makes me free,” he said as we continued our chat, oblivious of the passing of time.
It has always been music – Mr Eazi
Mr Eazi on stage. Source: Instagram
Many artistes are known for their signature intros, which can be phrases or chants, and Mr Eazi is identified by “Zagadat.”
I’m not sure what it means, but whenever you hear it, everyone knows Don Eazi is about to hit the stage or screen.
The longer we spoke, the more difficult it was to distinguish between Mr Eazi, the artiste, the startup founder/CEO, and the investor.
And when we started talking about how he successfully wears many hats, he told me why he made music the fulcrum of all he does.
“I read Jay-Z’s book, Empire State of Mind, and it felt like I’d seen the blueprint, the future, and what could come out of it. That’s why I decided that of all the things I was passionate about that showed traction, and it was going to be music.
“I always knew it would come to this phase where I get influential enough for the music to open doors for me and provide the cash flow needed to have more creative freedom.”
Mr Eazi always had the spirit of entrepreneurship. While studying in Ghana, he started bringing artistes to his university as he ran an entertainment business on the side.
When the artiste still had a softer image, he released mixtapes that attracted local and international audiences. Life is Eazi Vol.1 – Accra To Lagos and Life is Eazi Vol. 2 – Lagos to London particularly got massive streams, with the first at number four on Billboard’s World Album charts, and the other, the most-streamed Nigerian Album in 2018.
In July 2016, Mr Eazi held a hugely successful headline show in London, which he said convinced him that he was on the right path. Earlier in 2021, he celebrated five years of leaving his mobile phone trading startup, Phonetrader Nigeria, to focus on music.
However, I believe he started getting attention before then. In 2015, he had a hit record, Skin Tight. Then in 2016, he became a man of the moment with Leg Over.
Even though there was never a particular moment when he decided he wanted to become an artiste, Oluwatosin made bold to say that every other aspect of his entrepreneurship life leverages the fact that he’s Mr Eazi, the artiste.
“I was just doing exactly what I was doing, which is creating. And this has opened doors for me in my entire career.”
And once he recognised people’s growing interest in what he created, he continued to improve.
Many moments stand out for Oluwatosin in his musical career, but he referenced one of his firsts.
“One of my proudest creations so far is my COMO UN BEBÉ, my song with J Balvin and Bad Bunny last year. I think that was a big moment for me because it took me one year to get into the Latin music scene.”
Fun fact: Mr Eazi invented Banku, a style of music that’s a mix of Ghanaian and Nigerian pop. He was the only African that featured on two tracks on Beyonce’s The Lion King soundtrack.
“It’s an exciting time for African music right now. There used to be one artiste having the moment, and it felt like the next person had to wait their turn. But right now, the space is such that multiple people are simultaneously having their moments, recording individual worldwide success.”
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