“ZAGADAT!” THAT’S THE ONLY APPROPRIATE OPENER FOR EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING THAT IS MR EAZI. YOU’VE PROBABLY HEARD THAT ADLIB ON A FEW SONGS BY NOW, AND IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW, THAT’S MR EAZI’S SIGNATURE.
Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, better known by his stage name, Mr Eazi, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur and the pioneer of Banku Music; a fusion sound stemming from the mixture of Ghanaian and Nigerian influences.
In August 2015, Mr Eazi shot to fame after releasing the dancehall-influenced track “Skin Tight,” and has since captivated the masses with various projects such as Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos, and Mr Eazi.
The excitement of his Zambian fans upon hearing that Mr Eazi was set to perform was palpable, and in no time twitter was rife with conversation of the event. Mr Eazi was very responsive and took all suggestions into stride much to his fans’ surprise when he finally took to the stage.
Upon hearing “Zagadat! It’s your boy Eazi,” the air was filled with screams as the smoke cleared to reveal the Nigerian star. Mr Eazi thrilled his audience by performing most songs off his Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos album.
He engaged the crowd with a mash up of famous songs such as Short Skirt, Tilapia, Accra to Lagos, Feelings, 2 People and Sample Me.
He closed his set with ‘Leg Over’ and ‘Pour Me Water’ (which saw a shirtless Mr Eazi get splashed with water from the crowd), before leading the crowd into the fabled anthem “ye ye ye ye ye” to which the crowd echoed the mischievous colloquial Zambian response before he took off with the Distruction Boyz of the Omunye fame closing the show.
Mr Eazi explained that despite the fame, life hasn’t changed too much. “It’s normal. Nothing really changes except that maybe I get to travel around the world for free. It’s still the same me,” he said.
In spite of his rising fame the West African artist revealed that his greatest achievement is actually becoming an uncle.
“I have a nephew and I feel very proud of that. I like lying to him, I told him I’m the strongest man and he believed me. So that’s my biggest accomplishment, convincing the kid, because I don’t even look like the strongest man in the world.”
He explained that making music is his solace. Mr. Eazi described the studio as the one place where his thoughts are inhibited by nothing else.
When asked about the gap African artists need to fill with their music he spoke of more female inclusion in the industry.
“If there’s anything musicians need to do, or even something that I should do is work with more female artists and try and give the same support that we give ourselves. There are so many African male artists so let’s try and increase the number of female artists as well.
Describing himself as an African in everything that is Mr Eazi including his accent, he divulged that the scariest thing he’s done lately has been ziplining in Mauritius and that if he were to be famous for anything other than his music he would be famous for being the richest man in Africa, (a title that has been held by Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, for the seventh year in a row).
The concert itself was something to remember. It opened with a performance by Mampi, who enthralled the crowd by singing her hits such as Swililili and Why which the crowd sang back at her word for word. Perhaps for most the highlight of her performance were her two twerking dancing queens who were decked in lime green shorts and top ensemble.
Kantu also graced the stage and threw the famed Chimwemwe dance into the mix. Wezi definitely brought the soul with her seasoned voice and soul kalindula mash up and Jay Rox, sporting a trench coat romanced the crowd with hits such as Autopilot, Joanna and Not for Sello under the ambience of phone lights and billowing smoke.
Zimbabwean Afro-Pop/RnB, singer Ammara Brown, also graced the stage. Her performance was electric as she gyrated and stunned the audience not only with her amazing command of the mbira; a traditional instrument that is similar to the kalimba, only larger and more amplified by a casing.
With songs such as Akiliz and Mukoko she captivated the masses as she lithely moved about the stage in her black and gold sequined outfit. She is the daughter of iconic Zimbabwean singer Andy Brown and has performed on the same stage with acts such as Mi Casa at the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA), Skwata Kamp, and P-Squared.
Chef 187 took the crowd by storm with a set list that included such hits as Kumwesu and Junta, and had everyone craving for more. He gave a great (but rather short) performance before he ushered in the “Happy Boy” himself, Mr Eazi.
CATCH MR. EAZI ON THE EUROPEAN LEG OF HIS TOUR ON THE FOLLOWING DATES
UNITED KINGDOM
26TH MAY 2018
DANYNS HALL, AERODROM, UPMINISTER.
NORWAY
19TH MAY 2018
COSMOPOLITE SCENE, OSLO.
SWEDEN
4TH MAY 2018
PARTILLE ARENA,
PARTILLE.
