Afropop superstar Mr Eazi has shared the artwork and tracklist for his long-awaited debut album, The Evil Genius, dropping this Friday, Oct. 27 via the artist’s own emPawa Africa. Pre-save The Evil Genius here: https://empawaafrica.lnk.to/TheEvilGenius


Completing a rollout that’s seen him already release the singles “Legalize,” “Chop Time, No Friend,” “Advice” and “Fefe Ne Fefe,” Mr Eazi has just issued the project’s latest, “Exit,” featuring the iconic South African vocal group and three-time Grammy winners Soweto Gospel Choir. Watch the epic “Exit” video, filmed atop South Africa’s famed Drakensberg, here: https://youtu.be/2PPe-VQ0ths
 

Mr Eazi - EXIT ft. Soweto Gospel Choir (Official Music Video)

Recorded between Ouidah and Cotonou, Benin; Kigali, Rwanda; Accra and Kokrobite, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; London; Los Angeles; and New York City, The Evil Genius features some of Mr Eazi’s most personal work, as he dives deeply into subjects like love, betrayal, loneliness, and family, expressed through three distinctive acts. 

Guest features on the project come from Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Tekno (Nigeria), Efya (Ghana), Whoisakin (Nigeria) and Joeboy (Nigeria), as well as the aforementioned Soweto Gospel Choir. Producers on the project include Kel-P (Nigeria), Knucks (U.K.), Michael Brun (Haiti), M.O.G Beatz(Ghana), Andre Vibez (Nigeria), Killbeatz (Ghana), E Kelly (Nigeria), Type A (Nigeria), Yung Willis(Nigeria), Nonso Amadi (Nigeria/Canada), Phantom (Nigeria), KDream (Nigeria) and Mr Eazi himself. 


In a first-of-its-kind fusion of African music and art, Mr Eazi commissioned visual artists from across the continent to create a unique, physical art piece to represent each of the album’s 16 tracks. Noting a lack of meaningful collaboration between Africa’s exploding pop music scene and the continent’s fine art creators, Mr Eazi personally handpicked 13 artists, representing eight African countries, adding art curator and patron to his already extensive resume of pursuits. As part of the rollout, Mr Eazi has been inviting the public to experience the music alongside the art at multi-sensory exhibition listening experiences, with the first two taking place in Accra, Ghana and London (where it was part of the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair) earlier this month. Additional exhibition locations will be announced shortly. 


For the album’s cover art, Mr Eazi collaborated with celebrated Nigerian stylist, designer and photographer Daniel Obasi, known for his work with Beyoncé and Louis Vuitton. 


“Exit” is the final track on The Evil Genius but, in many ways, it is the centerpiece of the long-awaited project. Conceived during a period of inner turmoil and strife, it’s one of the Nigerian singer’s most personal and inward-looking songs to date, but also one of his most triumphant. Begun in Accra and completed in Los Angeles and Johannesburg, “Exit” features a powerful choral arrangement from Soweto Gospel Choir, alongside infectious production from Nigerian beatmaker Kel-P (Burna Boy, Wizkid). Among the song’s memorable lines is one which Mr Eazi has adopted as his daily mantra: Thank you God for keeping things running smoothly. “When I wrote this song, I was disappointed in everything —the music business, feeling betrayed by my friends," Mr Eazi says. "But, in the midst of feeling disappointed, I was thankful.”


Such a track required a powerful, statement video that could evoke and capture the song's underlying sentiment of gratitude. Set atop South Africa’s famed Drakensberg, amidst the oldest mountain range in the world, Allison Swank Owen's "Exit" video delivers heavenly visuals befitting of the song's spiritual theme.


Samuel Tete-Katchen, a Togolese painter based in Accra, Ghana, created the striking cover artwork for “Exit,” a piece with tones of DaVinci's The Last Supper, which he dubbed You Prepare a Table Before Me. 


“The first time I listened to ‘Exit,’ it moved me a lot,” Tete-Katchen says. “The way the Afrobeats blended with gospel, I felt a beautiful spiritual connection to it. It reminded me of the feeling I had as a child when I first listened to ‘Will You Be There’ by Michael Jackson. I wanted You Prepare a Table Before Me to display how ‘Exit’ touched me spiritually… It depicts a king who wants to serve humbly as he’s been blessed by God, opening his heart to the people surrounding him. The people surrounding him are his brotherhood, sharing a drink from one cup. I believe the only ones that can really be your enemies are those close to you who betray you, which is why there is such proximity with the people around him.”
 

"Exit" artwork by Samuel Tete-Katchen

Evil Genius Tracklist

1. Olúwa Jọ̀ 
Produced by: E Kelly, Stikmatik, Timmy, Mr Eazi 
2. Advice 
Produced by: M.O.G Beatz
3. Òròkórò (feat. Angélique Kidjo)
Produced by: Kel-P
4. Chop Time, No Friend
Produced by: Killbeatz, Andre Vibez 
5. Notorious 
Produced by: Kel-P, AoD
6. Panadol
Produced by: Type A
7. Jamboree (feat. Tekno) 
Produced by: Yung Willis
8. Good Lovin’ (feat. Efya)
Produced by: Type A 
9. Lack of Communication
Produced by: Kel-P, Mr Eazi
10. Fefe Ne Fefe
Produced by: Kel-P, KDaGreat
11. Legalize
Produced by: Michaël Brun, E Kelly, Nonso Amadi
12. Show Dem (feat. Whoisakin)
Produced by: Phantom 
13.  We Dey
Produced by: Knucks, AoD, E Kelly, Wade Oghenejabor and Venna
14. Zuzulakate (feat. Joeboy)
Produced by: Type A, Kel-P
15. Mandela
Produced by: KDream
16. Exit (feat Soweto Gospel Choir)
Produced by: Kel-P

ABOUT MR EAZI

MR EAZI is a musical innovator, business leader and philanthropist. As a recording artist, the Nigerian multihyphenate is the voice behind afropop hits “Pour Me Water,” “Skin Tight” and “Leg Over,” as well as groundbreaking collaborations with the likes of Beyoncé and J Balvin, and the creator of Banku Music, a fusion of Ghanaian and Nigerian sounds and culture. A serial entrepreneur, he founded emPawa Africa in 2018 as a talent incubator program designed to accelerate the careers of African artists.

Hailed by CNN, Rolling Stone,Billboard and Forbes for its innovative approach to expanding African music’s global reach, emPawa Africa has since grown into one of Africa’s largest independent music companies, with a track record of breaking global stars like Joeboy and Major League Djz. Mr Eazi has clocked over 4 billion streams of his songs across DSPs, making him one of the most streamed African artists worldwide. 

Connect with Mr Eazi
Facebook: @officialMrEazi
Twitter: @mreazi
Instagram: @mreazi