Afropop superstar Mr Eazi has shared his long-awaited debut album, The Evil Genius, out now via the artist’s own emPawa Africa imprint.
Listen here: https://empawaafrica.lnk.to/TheEvilGenius
Recorded between Ouidah and Cotonou, Benin; Kigali, Rwanda; Accra and Kokrobite, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; London; Los Angeles; and New York City, The Evil Genius features some of Mr Eazi’s most personal work, as he dives deeply into subjects like love, betrayal, loneliness, and family, expressed through three distinctive acts.
Expanding upon Banku Music, Mr Eazi’s distinctive spin on contemporary Afropop, the project seamlessly pulls together an eclectic range of styles and influences across its 16 tracks, from Ghanaian highlife to grime to gospel, to create a pan-African masterpiece.
Guest features on the project include Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Efya (Ghana), Whoisakin (Nigeria) and three-time Grammy winners Soweto Gospel Choir (South Africa), who add a heavenly choral arrangement to the recent single, “Exit.”
Tekno, the Nigerian afrobeats star whose rise in the mid 2010s corresponded with Mr Eazi’s own, appears on “Jamboree” (Watch visualizer HERE), a return to the ‘pon pon’ sound which defined Afrobeats at the time when the two were first emerging.
The Nigerian music star Joeboy, who first Mr Eazi discovered and signed to emPawa Africa in 2018, reconnects with his mentor on the playful “Zuzulakate,” reminding listeners of their impeccable chemistry.
Producers who contributed to The Evil Genius include Kel-P (Nigeria), Knucks (U.K.), Michael Brun(Haiti), Andre Vibez (Nigeria), Yung Willis (Nigeria), Nonso Amadi (Nigeria/Canada), KillBeatz(Ghana), M.O.G Beatz (Ghana), E Kelly (Nigeria), Type A (Nigeria), Stikmatik (U.K.), Phantom(Nigeria), Venna (U.K.), KDream (Nigeria) and Mr Eazi himself.
In a first-of-its-kind fusion of African music and art, Mr Eazi commissioned visual artists from across the continent to create a unique, physical art piece to represent each of the album’s 16 tracks.
While traveling the continent completing the album, Mr Eazi personally handpicked 13 artists, representing eight African countries, adding art curator and patron to his already extensive resume of pursuits.
The result is a unique and ambitious pan-African multimedia project that has earned notice from art-world figures like Marina Abramović, and media including ARTNews and The Guardian.
View/Download the art HERE.
As the project rolls out, Mr Eazi is inviting the public to experience the music alongside the art at multi-sensory exhibition listening experiences. The exhibition debuted this month in Accra, Ghana before moving on to London, where it was featured as a special project at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. Additional activations will be announced soon.
Visual artists who contributed to The Evil Genius are Alpha ODH (Nairobi, Kenya), Chinaza Nkemka (Lagos, Nigeria), Dominique Zinkpe (Cotonou, Benin), Edozie Anedu (Lagos, Nigeria), Elangwe Sesse (Cameroon), Ikechukwu Christian (Lagos, Nigeria), Kufa Makwavarara (Zimbabwe/South Africa).
Others are Patricorel (Cotonou, Benin), Samuel Tete-Katchan (Accra, Ghana), Sandra Seghir (Dakar, Senegal), Sinalo Ngcaba (Cape Town, South Africa), Tammy Sinclair (Abuja, Nigeria) and Tesprit (Lomé, Togo).
The art pieces and the stories behind them are also collected in a limited-edition, coffee-table book from Mr Eazi, coming soon.
For the album’s cover art, Mr Eazi collaborated with celebrated Nigerian stylist, designer and photographer Daniel Obasi, known for his work with Beyoncé and Louis Vuitton.
Obasi shot, styled and designed the album’s cover image, letting lyrics from “Orokoro,” “Chop Time, No Friend” and “Advice” guide its dense narrative.
“In a metaphysical and surrealist portrayal, the cover art draws from the composition and ideals of the last supper and David’s prayer of Psalm 23,” Obasi says. “Spirituality, love, confidence, betrayal and thanksgiving are themes.”
Earlier this week, Mr Eazi issued the video for “Exit” featuring South African music legends Soweto Gospel Choir, alongside infectious production from Grammy-winning Nigerian beatmaker Kel-P(Burna Boy, Wizkid).
Set atop South Africa’s dramatic Drakensberg escarpment, amidst the oldest mountain range in the world, the”Exit” video delivers heavenly visuals befitting of the song’s spiritual theme.
“I’m happy to be releasing this project, after years of work finally,” Mr Eazi says. “I had to go through this process to let go of emotions and thoughts deep within my subconscious. It’s come together beautifully and meaningfully, aided by art, and I am proud to share it with the world.”
Tracklist
1. Olúwa Jọ̀
Produced by: E Kelly, Stikmatik, Timmy, Mr Eazi
2. Advice
Produced by: M.O.G Beatz
3. Òròkórò (feat. Angélique Kidjo)
Produced by: Kel-P
4. Chop Time, No Friend
Produced by: Killbeatz, Andre Vibez
5. Notorious
Produced by: Kel-P, AoD
6. Panadol
Produced by: Type A
7. Jamboree (feat. Tekno)
Produced by: Yung Willis
8. Good Lovin’ (feat. Efya)
Produced by: Type A
9. Lack of Communication
Produced by: Kel-P, Mr Eazi
10. Fefe Ne Fefe
Produced by: Kel-P, KDaGreat
11. Legalize
Produced by: Michaël Brun, E Kelly, Nonso Amadi
12. Show Dem (feat. Whoisakin)
Produced by: Phantom
13. We Dey
Produced by: Knucks, AoD, E Kelly, Wade Oghenejabor and Venna
14. Zuzulakate (feat. Joeboy)
Produced by: Type A, Kel-P
15. Mandela
Produced by: KDream
16. Exit (feat Soweto Gospel Choir)
Produced by: Kel-P
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