By Ferdinand Ekechukwu
Back in January 2021 Afropop singer-songwriter and entrepreneur, Mr Eazi (Oluwatosin Ajibade) dropped his single “The Don” which reeks of breezy, feel-good elements with his smooth vocals gliding over the top but the highly received track was just incomplete without accompanying visuals. Fast forward two months, and Mr Eazi has captivated fans with not only a music video, but a short film to accredit Don Eazi’s status along with the track.
In the six-minute film, Eazi can be seen driven in the hills while providing commentary leading up to the lively single, proving he’s multi-talented and perfect for the entertainment industry with both acting and singing under his belt. The Don’s video, within 24 hours of release last Monday, recorded over 30,000 views on YouTube. The new video, directed by Babs, starts off with a transportation scene in which ‘The Don’ (Mr Eazi) is broken out of police capture and taken back to the area he rules over.
The narrative behind the visuals tells that behind bars, Eazi had so much control with his jagged deeds. “It’s been very difficult to keep him away from contact and the authorities have confirmed he’s been sent to a maximum security on the Island,” a fictitious empawa News 24 update had enthused. “The public can therefore be assured that he will never come out or contact again.” But that was not to be.
The rest of the video shot in Ghana is packed with striking shots of kids chanting “Don Eazi” and getting tattoos beautifully without smokes, dancers with creepy clown masks and a beautiful waterfall scene. The ghetto state of the area he rules over as The Don, living in mansion and castle, like he is living in Paradise, is quite a spectacle of visual delight with scenes and improvised arena. “The Don” is one of the scintillating tracks off Mr Eazi’s Something Else EP which debuted February 19 and was produced by Killertunes and E-Kelly.
The first single off the EP, The Don’ gained momentum upon its release and showcases Eazi’s expanding sonic world and music output. It follows a busy 2020 for the Nigerian recording artiste and African music mogul which saw him expand his emPawa Africa initiative; launch the Africa Music Fund, an innovative financial vehicle designed to make capital available to African artists; and release successful collaborations with Major Lazer/Nicki Minaj and J Balvin, among others.
“I spent the entire year working on building emPawa Africa and morphing into Don Eazi. I almost had no time to record. This project was inspired by Kel P and Killertunes, who kept coming to meet me in Accra until I finally recorded ‘The Don.’ That opened the door for me getting back into the studio,” Mr Eazi said prior to the EP release.
Speaking in a recent interview, the Banku music exponent talks about his excitement for what’s still to come from the ever-burgeoning African music scene, saying “I feel like Afropop is at the place hip-hop was in like 1990 or 1991.”
