GIST: Here's the only Nigerian breakout star in 2016

Mr Eazi has trumped the rest in
2016 to become the only bona
fide breakout star in Nigeria.

Life is Eazi for Nigerian
entertainment right now. Mr Eazi,
the singer who first had to conquer
Ghana before returning to Nigeria
his country of origin has had a
phenomenal 2016.
He is Nigeria’s only breakout star for
the year, with a handful of singles
that have generated quite a storm
and introduced a new sonic system
to the Nigerian space.
If you know the music scene in
Ghana, then the name Mr. Eazi
shouldn't be new. Mr. Eazi who is a
Nigerian by the name of Tosin
Ajibade has been heating up the
country with his hit tracks
'Bankulize', ‘Shitor’, ‘Skin tight’,
‘Anointing’ and more.

A graduate of Mechanical
Engineering from Kwame Nkrumah'
University of Science and
Technology, Kumasi, he also holds
an MSc degree in Engr/Management
from Coventry University.

Eazi started recording as a hobby in
2010 with a group called Code Red.
The reception of their songs
especially towards him made him
dedicate more time recording and
learning his craft while still in
university.
From singles to features, he became
a major force in the underground/
upcoming game getting co-signs
from EL, Fuse ODG and featuring
on Sarkodie' s song - ' Thank
God » ', X.O Senavoe 's ' Fever » '
and Stay Jay' s ' Baby Lace » ';
adding the Naija flavour they
needed to each song.
In 2013, he released his mixtape
' About to Blow » ' which had the
songs 'Pipi Dance' , 'Orobo' and
'Bankulize' as breakout singles. 'Pipi
Dance' went on to be played on
radio massively in Ghana.
In 2014 November, a new version of
'Bankulize' produced by DJ Juls
(who produced the hit single 'Feel
Alright' by Show Dem Camp) feat
Pappy Kojo was released. By
February, it was the number one
song in Ghana according to iTunes.
All of these had made the Nigerian,
who had schooled and lived in
Ghana, and made music for
Ghanaians, using their influence and
culture a star.
But he wasn’t accepted by some
section of the Ghanaians, who called
him a Nigerian, and kept him away
from VGMA in 2015, the biggest
music honor in the land. The PRO
for Charterhouse, the organizers of
the annual prestigious Vodafone
Ghana Music Awards disclosed that
VGMAs board thought it wise not to
include Mr. Eazi for the event
because he is not a Ghanaian by
heritage, and disregarded that he
has been staying in Ghana, and
creating content for Ghana.
“I’ve heard lots of talk about VGMAs
not nominating Mr. Eazi in the
various categories. But they should
know that the reason why we deem
it fit not to make him part and parcel
of the award scheme is that he’s not
a Ghanaian.” He said.
“Mr. Eazi is a Nigerian, and the only
category he can compete for is the
African Artiste of the Year category
and with that one he didn’t qualify
because his influence on the African
map is nothing to talk home about
as compared to the other artistes in
that category.” He continued.
Mr Eazi has since seen his song ‘Skin
tight’ penetrate the Nigerian market,
where he has enjoyed tremendous
acceptance. Interviews and press
rounds have been carried out, as
his profile has continued to grow. A
UK tour has been held, and many
more are lined up, planned and
ready to execute. His latest song
‘Anointing’, which features rapper,
Sarkodie, is gradually penetrating
radio, racking up over 1.5 million
Youtube.
What has made Mr Eazi so appealing
to Nigeria? His sound. Mr Eazi’s
partnership with Julz is currently one
that is working. Grabbing inspiration
from 80s and 90s Ghanaian Highlife
melodies, Julz creates a modern
fusion of these sounds, and hands it
to Mr Eazi, who layers his pop verses
over it. Thematic direction of the
songs are all romance and love-
based.
Just like the 70s and the 60’s when
Ghanaian Highlife was appropriated
by our Nigerian fathers, the sounds
from Ghana have been mixed with a
Naija delivery, and it has caught on.
Mr Eazi’s reliance on a certain
system of delivery and production
has also been the driving force of
his nascent career. There’s a
uniqueness to his madness that has
seen him produce his songs such as
‘Skintight’ , ‘Hollup’ , ‘Anointing’, and
‘Dance for me’ .
For now Mr Eazi still prefers his
Ghanaian home. “I prefer staying in
Ghana – actually Kumasi because, I
love the Ghanaian culture and things
happen to be easy for me here in
Ghana,” He says. “I love the people
and the ‘Banku’. But he is becoming
a force in Nigeria. One that has the
potential to explode.
In 2016, Eazi has become Nigeria's
breakout star. Where 2015 had Kiss
Daniel and Tekno standing tall above
the others as the best new acts, Mr
Eazi has trumped the rest in 2016 to
become the only bona fide breakout
star in Nigeria.

We appreciate you for reading naijawapbase, but we think it will be better you like our facebook fanpage and also follow us on twitter below.
GET OUR HOT UPDATES DIRECTLY TO YOUR MOBILE PHONE BY TEXTING "FOLLOW Naijawapbase" to 40404
Follow @Naijawapbase