Mr Eazi is out with new music and has unveiled the title of his long-awaited first solo album. This new release, called ‘Advice,’ is the third single from ‘The Evil Genius,’ his upcoming 16-track album.
During a challenging period in his life, Mr Eazi created ‘Advice’ as his relationships started falling apart due to his growing success. He describes the track’s inspiration by saying, “When you first come up [as an artist], everybody is in love with you, then they want to draw you down. People begin to betray you. If you’re able to survive this stage, you go untouchable. But this is the hardest stage“
The lyrically intricate ‘Advice’ also pays homage to various African figures, including former Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila and Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian writer and activist whose 1995 hanging sparked domestic and international outrage. Mr Eazi adds, “I was coming from a place of having that energy.”
Recorded over two years in Mr Eazi’s favorite cities, including Ouidah and Cotonou in Benin, Kokrobite and Accra in Ghana, Los Angeles and New York City in the United States, Lagos in Nigeria, and Kigali in Rwanda, ‘The Evil Genius’ delves into Mr Eazi’s most personal themes, including love, betrayal, loneliness, and family, presented through three distinct acts.
Regarding the album’s title, Mr Eazi clarifies that ‘The Evil Genius’ represents his way of embracing the perception that his business acumen and ambitions may hide ulterior motives. He says, “There’s been this low-key notion that Eazi is this calculated bad guy, and I started to fight this narrative. Then it hit me: This album is me fighting the ‘people pleaser’ in me, and accepting that image. By the time you listen to this project from beginning to end, you will have met ‘The Evil Genius.’ If you still think I’m the bad guy, so be it”
In a groundbreaking fusion of African music and art, Mr Eazi enlisted visual artists from across the continent to create unique physical art pieces representing each of the album’s 16 tracks. For ‘Advice,’ he collaborated with Nairobi, Kenya-based artist Alphonce Odhiambo, known as Alpha ODH, whose acrylic painting captures the track’s defiant essence.
While traveling through Africa to record the album, Mr Eazi formed bonds with visual artists whose work he encountered along the way. Recognizing a lack of collaboration between Africa’s burgeoning pop music scene and the continent’s fine art creators, Mr Eazi personally selected 13 artists from eight African countries, inviting them to collaborate in an informal and instinctual process. According to Eazi, “Inviting artists to create for the album was from my passion for creativity and expression. I formed a true bond with many of my artist friends. The artworks visually unlock the ideas, emotion, and energy within my music.”
Leading up to the album’s release on October 27, Mr Eazi invites the public to experience the music alongside the art at several multi-sensory exhibition listening events. The exhibition kicks off at Gallery 1957 in Ghana, a significant location for Mr Eazi’s career, where he first began recording and gained fame, running from September 13-18. Following this debut, the exhibition will travel to London as part of the renowned 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair at Somerset House, scheduled for October 12-15. Additional exhibition details in other cities will be announced soon.
