Renowned singer and entrepreneur Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, popularly known as Mr Eazi, has shed light on the pivotal moments when he turned down recording deals from Nigerian rapper Olamide and Abou “Bu” Thiam, the executive vice president of Columbia Records and younger brother to American singer Akon. Mr Eazi disclosed these details in the latest episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence Podcast hosted by Joey Akan.
Reflecting on the early stages of his music career, Mr Eazi recounted the encounter with Olamide during “Ghana Meets Naija” in Ghana, where Olamide expressed interest in signing him to his YBNL Nation record label. Around the same time, Bu Thiam also approached Mr Eazi for a potential deal. Despite these lucrative opportunities, Mr Eazi made the conscious decision to decline both offers, explaining that he hadn’t fully comprehended the music business, and he yearned for artistic freedom.
During the podcast, Mr Eazi shared, “Everything was just happening so fast. One thing I knew was that I wanted my freedom.”
The artist continued to unveil another significant moment when Jay-Z’s record label, ROC Nation, expressed interest in signing his hit song ‘Skin Tight.’ However, Wizkid, a close associate, advised Mr Eazi to consider the deal only if it offered “life-changing money.”
Mr Eazi elaborated on this aspect, stating, “In reality, to where I was in my life, the money they offered would have been interpreted as life-changing money. But to me, because of where I thought I was going, I didn’t think it was life-changing money. So, I didn’t accept the deal.“
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