For the past few months, Mr Eazi has been laying down breadcrumbs to lead us to his debut album, The Evil Genius. It all started in July when he released “CTNF”, followed by “Advice” and then “Exit”, but there’s more to this than a series of singles building up to an album drop.
To accompany each of the tracks on The Evil Genius, Eazi commissioned 16 works of art by 13 artists from eight African countries, and in the build-up to the LP’s unveiling, he also curated exhibitions in Somerset House in London and Gallery 1957 in Accra. A truly global work, Mr Eazi recorded the album between Accra, Cotonou, LA, Lagos, London and New York, and collaborated with Angélique Kidjo, Knucks, Soweto Gospel Choir, Nonso Amadi and Joeboy.
Beyond just setting up shop in those cities, the album also absorbed the local influences, stirring in highlife brass, palm-wine guitar licks, brooding Afro-drill, and more.
Despite having such an international scope, Mr Eazi still takes time to write about subjects that are personal to him. Exploring his thoughts on politics, spirituality, faith and more, it’s a deft balance of the two.
Stream The Evil Genius in full below.
