Nigerian musician, record executive and entrepreneur Mr Eazi has just dropped the latest video for his album and visual art project, ‘The Evil Genius.’
The song, “Òròkórò”, is the fifth cut to be filmed and the first from the LP to get an official video. The rest have been live renditions from Eazi’s tenure at Gallery 1957, a space dedicated to international art exchange that challenges Western narratives.
Speaking to fans on Instagram, he claimed the track, “is extremely special to me, as it resonates with my soul.” The video, shot in Paris with the rich shadows of director Thomas Leloup, is a tribute to seeing what others cannot. Dancers smear paint on their faces and hunch over a bonfire, twist in a circle, fall in and out of unison. Eazi reckons with lyrics in Yoruba below white sheets hung like tired wings. The song is also a collaboration with veteran Benenian singer, Angelique Kidjo, who appears on a throne made of hair. But her inclusion wasn’t meant to be so conspicuous.
Speaking to The Guardian in October, Eazi claimed that he’d written something that could only be “a Coca Cola advert, a World Cup song, or the kind of song people do at the end of their career when they’ve achieved legend status.” He DMed her a quick hello on Twitter. Four days later, she said hi back. Eazi mentioned that he had material for them. He asked her, “Mama, can you just do the Òròkórò in your voice? Because I want people to know that it was you.” She replied asking for a verse all to herself.
Eazi, otherwise known as Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, has already scored plaudits and major profiles for his creativity. Last year, he became the first Nigerian musician to win a Latin Grammy award. Since the thunder of 2016’s “Leg Over”, the producer and songwriter has been stirring Ghanaian and Nigerian influences in his music, spearheading the Banku sound. But his success doesn’t end at the studio. Forbes Africa featured him in their 30 Under 30 list, referring to his stewardship of emPawa Africa, a talent incubation enterprise. In April 2023, Eazi sold his portfolio company Zagadat Capital for $1 billion.
The Evil Genius marks another hinterland for the polymath: four-walls immersion. After dabbling with a painter on “Legalize” — producing a mini doc and singing for a middle-aged couple below the canvas — Eazi selected visual artists that jived with the album’s 16 tracks, picking one for each. The staged assemblage contains representative works from eight African countries, reflecting or distorting the music. Piece by piece, they trace his life, fitting the shapes of The Last Supper and a father and son. The inspiration came from the “Legalize” collaboration in which two skeletons held hands on a sofa. During a welcome listening session, Eazi said that, “We all seek acceptance and validation. Facing criticism can be tough. This album is my journey towards self acceptance. It allows me to confront and accept even the harshest opinions about me.”
