Afrobeats artiste Mr. Eazi wasn’t surprised he lost the ‘Best African Artiste of the Year‘ award at the 2017 Ghana Music Awards to ‘Mad Over You’ hit maker, RunTown .
Eazi disclosed to Live FM Presenter Vanessa Gyan, certain behind the scene occurrences confirmed his belief.
“I knew I wouldn’t win. Last year, they tried to book me for Miss Malaika and they didn’t want to pay me and I said “I wouldn’t leave Naija to perform for Ms. Malaika,” explained Mr. Eazi.
“They called for me to perform at this year’s VGMAs and my manager was charging a fee and they did not oblige.”
His manager, Bernard Kafui Sokpe, corroborated his story in the same interview with Gyan: “We were told artists who perform at the VGMAs do it for free and if they are paid, it’s a token which I did not accept. Once Runtown was being promoted we knew what was next to come.”
Mr. Eazi revealed he might headline a concert with Shatta Wale on the night of the 2018 Ghana Music Awards.
“Anything with Charter House I’m not interested until they pay me and I may just team up with Shatta Wale next year and actually hold the concert I previously mentioned at next year’s VGMAs. The award has lost its relevance.”
The ‘Bankulize‘ act is obviously not worried about the loss considering his rise on the international music scene and the feats he has chalked in the past few months.
His mixtape Life Is Eazi – Accra to Lagos charted at number four on Billboard World Charts weeks ago, he made history as the first African artiste to have his song premiered on Zane Lowe’s World Record show on Beats 1 Radio and his song ‘Skin Tight‘ was recently featured in an advert starring Music mogul, Diddy.
Mr. Eazi is a Nigerian Afrobeats artiste born Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade.
He was born in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and received his elementary and secondary education in Lagos, Nigeria.
Eazi is a product of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Coventry University with a MSc degree in Engr/Management.
He gained mainstream attention in Ghana with his song ‘Bankulize produced by DJ Juls, and has collaborated with the likes of Sarkodie, Pappy Kojo and Efya.
His other hits include Skin Tight, Anointing, HollUp and Shitor.
Eazi was excluded from the 2016 Ghana Music Awards even though he had a good year. Organizers of the award scheme claimed he could not be nominated he is not Ghanaian.
He was awarded the WAMVA Special Recognition Award by WatsUp TV in the same year, and currently signed to WizKid’s StarBoy Worldwide label.
Eazi won the Prestigious Next Rated Act at The 2016 Headies, and Best New Artiste of the Year at the Inaugural Soundcity MVP Awards/Festival 2016.