Nigerian artist and entrepreneur Mr Eazi has detailed plans for multiple new music releases this month while advancing business projects that include direct athlete payments and infrastructure development in Ghanaian sports.
Speaking in a recent interview, the artist, born Oluwatosin Ajibade, confirmed that his track “Comfort” featuring Moliy is already available on major streaming platforms. A collaboration with South African artists is set for release on 13 November, followed by a solo single on 27 or 28 November. He has been promoting the material on TikTok with a playful framing.
“I’m this new Mr Eazi, I’m an upcoming artist, fresh artist coming to the scene bringing something fresh to the scene,” he said in one of the teaser clips.
Eazi indicated he intends to maintain a steadier release schedule going forward, targeting new music every six to eight weeks over the next year. The announcements come after a period in which he deliberately reduced the intensity of his recorded output to focus on other ventures.
He traced the shift to the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time he and artists signed to his label were among the most prominent voices in African music, yet the sudden halt to live performances prompted a reassessment.
“COVID just hit everyone and it just made me start to think, oh I thought I had 10 years before I wore my jersey, maybe it’s not the case, I needed money and spending so much time with bankers and investors. I said, bro, let me go get my money right.”
Mr Eazi, Musician and Entrepreneur
Shortly afterwards he completed a Harvard course covering business, entertainment, media and sports. He continued selective creative work, including the album The Evil Genius and the annual Detty Rave parties, while directing greater attention toward entrepreneurship.
Eazi has long cited Jay-Z’s career as a model. “That was my blueprint for coming into music. I read Empire State of Mind and I was like, ok this is my blueprint, this is what I want to do,” he said.
“In my head it is like 10 years you do music for 10 years, you drop a couple albums, then you go on some tours, you become this icon and then you flip it.”
Mr Eazi, Musician and Entrepreneur
He noted recent developments in Jay-Z’s own career, including stadium shows and the Super Bowl LXI halftime performance announcement, as confirmation of the approach.
Business Activities
Central to Eazi’s current business activity is the Locker Room Bonus scheme. The initiative pays athletes directly after match victories rather than routing funds through federations or managers.
In Ghana the programme has so far distributed about 8 million Ghana cedis to players. Members of the Black Queens women’s national team receive 20,000 Ghana cedis each per win.
“We want to build the data infrastructure,” Eazi explained. “Every team, everybody has to know their squad, everybody has to know the age of the players, everybody has to know who scored. After you finish the game… the money comes into your account.”
Participants must complete full registration and know-your-customer procedures to receive the payments, generating the detailed records the organisers say are currently missing from many African leagues. Eazi’s company previously designed the present logo of the Ghana Premier League and maintains sponsorship involvement.
The same approach is being extended to volleyball and basketball. Transparency is emphasised: payment records are published on the project website.
He positioned the scheme as a long-term investment vehicle rather than short-term charity. “For any investor that invests in a business, what do you expect? Profit… It’s a long-term, patient investment in sports.”
Earlier, through the emPawa programme, Eazi’s organisation awarded grants of between 3,000 and 10,000 dollars to 127 artists to cover recording, video production and promotion costs. He remains vocal on the need for creators to be paid properly.
“I’m always in support of artists getting paid,” he said. “Creatives must chop.”
On the related question of public performance licences and royalties, he restated support for systems that deliver money to artists while criticising arrangements that fail to do so transparently.
Eazi’s own trajectory began in Ghana, where he arrived before the age of 16 to study engineering at KNUST. Alongside his studies he engaged in small-scale trading in Kumasi, including the sale of BlackBerry devices. He credited his late mother with shaping his early self-belief.
“She always kept telling me, ‘I had a dream when you were a baby before I had you and you were very successful,’” he said. “All those whisperings sometimes, it just stays in your head.”
Change of Mentors
Mentors changed over time, beginning with campus trading contacts and later including entertainment entrepreneurs. He described a recent realisation of his own leadership role when company executives from different countries addressed him as “chairman” during an off-site meeting.
Looking to the end of the year, Eazi is preparing the next edition of Detty Rave. Last year’s event attracted crowds that spilled beyond the venue’s capacity, prompting safety concerns. He is evaluating a new location and is considering a two-day format.
“If I cannot assure the safety of the people who come for this event then there will be no event. We need to think about the capacity of the place.”
Mr Eazi, Musician and Entrepreneur
Final confirmation of dates, venue and ticket arrangements is expected within the next two weeks. Advance sales may be offered to existing members.
The interview presented an artist treating music and business as complementary rather than sequential activities. New releases are intended to re-engage listeners while the commercial projects seek to establish lasting systems in sports and creative industries. Both strands continue to rely on the networks of teams and partners Eazi has assembled across multiple countries.
As the November singles arrive and Detty Rave plans take clearer shape, the balance he has described between studio work and infrastructure building will face its next practical test.
READ ALSO: Government Misses October Deadline for 28,000 Teachers’ Promotion Arrears
