Mr Eazi Drops Latest Single "Advice"

Afropop superstar Mr Eazi's soulful "Advice" reflects personal turmoil, teasing his highly anticipated debut album The Evil Genius.

​Photo courtesy of Mr Eazi's team.
Photo courtesy of Mr Eazi's team.

Afropop sensation Mr Eazi has just dropped his latest single, "Advice," offering fans a taste of his forthcoming debut album, The Evil Genius. This long-awaited project, a decade in the making, promises to be a big release for Eazi. Produced by the talented M.O.G. Beatz from Ghana, "Advice" is the third single to emerge from this highly anticipated album. Mr Eazi, the mastermind behind this musical masterpiece, has released the track under the banner of Empawa, a company he founded.

Empawa Africa, the brainchild of Mr Eazi, has flourished into one of the largest independent music companies in Africa. With an impressive track record of catapulting global stars like Joeboy and Major League Djz to international recognition, it's no wonder Mr. Eazi's influence in the industry continues to grow. Having accumulated over 4 billion streams of his songs across various digital streaming platforms, Mr Eazi has solidified his status as one of the most streamed African artists on a global scale.

"Advice" carries a somber and gritty tone, reflecting a challenging period in Mr. Eazi's life where he witnessed the erosion of some of his longest-held relationships. As he candidly puts it, "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 song "Advice" also pays tribute to several African martyrs, including former Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabila and Ken Saro-Wiwa, a Nigerian writer and activist whose 1995 execution sparked both domestic and international outrage. Mr Eazi's inspiration for the song draws from the intense energy he felt during this period.

"The Evil Genius," as the album title suggests, serves as Mr Eazi's bold embrace of a pervasive perception that his business acumen and ambitions hide a more sinister agenda. He explains, "There’s been this low-key notion that Eazi is this calculated bad guy. I started to fight this narrative. Then it hit me: I’m no longer going to explain myself. This album is me accepting that image. By the time you listen from beginning to end, you will have met ‘The Evil Genius.’ If you still think I’m the bad guy, so be it."

The album was meticulously crafted over a two-year span in various locations, including Ouidah and Cotonou (Benin), Kigali (Rwanda), Accra and Kokrobite (Ghana), Lagos (Nigeria), London, Los Angeles, and New York City. The Evil Genius promises to be a deeply personal exploration of themes such as love, betrayal, loneliness, and family, expressed through three distinctive acts that showcase Mr Eazi's artistic evolution and growth.

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