The announcement arrives alongside the release of the lead single \u2018Chop Time, No Friend\u2019 and its accompanying music video, shot in Dakar, Senegal, by director Allison Swank Owen.<\/p>\n
\u201cChop Time, No Friend\u201d is a playful return to the Banku Music sound Mr Eazi popularized with his early singles and mixtapes. Mr Eazi says,<\/p>\n
Chop Time, No Friend is a very common Ghanaian saying, something you will see written on the front or side of buses, It means when you are eating, you don\u2019t think about anybody. You are just focused on your enjoyment.<\/p>\n
For Eazi, the track\u2019s lyrics are a way to express how he doesn\u2019t let haters distract him from enjoying the fruits of his success.<\/p>\n
It is touching on how people chitchat on me, but I am still focused on my enjoyment, He says. It is a declaration, a celebration of self. I am saying everything I touch turns to gold. You can\u2019t trouble me.<\/p>\n
\u201cChop Time, No Friend\u201d was produced by Andre Vibez, the beatmaker behind Rema and Selena Gomez\u2019s Billboard Top 10 single \u201cCalm Down,\u201d and Ghana\u2019s Killbeatz (Ed Sheeran), a key contributor to Mr Eazi\u2019s breakthrough 2017 mixtape Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1: Accra to Lagos.<\/p>\n
Allison Swank Owen, who previously collaborated with Mr Eazi on 2019\u2019s \u201cLagos to London: The Documentary,\u201d directed the video, inspired by the incredible creative energy of Dakar, Senegal. Mr Eazi said,<\/p>\n
We wanted to feature the fine artists, fashion designers, and everyday activities that make Dakar an inspiring place to be<\/p>\n
While the title of the forthcoming album remains under wraps for now, Mr Eazi has shared the full list of producers who contributed to the project.<\/p>\n
In addition to Andre Vibez and Killbeatz, these include Kel-P (Nigeria), Knucks (U.K.), Michael Brun (Haiti), M.O.G Beatz (Ghana), E Kelly (Nigeria), Type A (Nigeria), Stikmatik (U.K.), Yung Willis (Nigeria), Nonso Amadi (Nigeria\/Canada), Phantom (Nigeria), Beat Butcha (U.K.), Venna (U.K.), KDream (Nigeria), and Mr Eazi himself.<\/p>\n
In a fusion of African music and art, Mr Eazi has commissioned a different African visual artist to create a unique, physical art piece to represent each track on the album.<\/p>\n
For \u201cChop Time, No Friend,\u201d he tapped Sinalo Ngcaba, a Johannesburg, South Africa-based visual artist whose work also graces the cover of Chop Life, Vol. 1: Mzansi Chronicles, Mr Eazi\u2019s new album with his group, ChopLife Soundsystem.<\/p>\n
Mr Eazi is a musical innovator, businessman, and philanthropist. As a recording artist, the Nigerian multihyphenate is the voice behind Afropop hits such as \u2018Pour Me Water,\u2019 \u2018Skin Tight,\u2019 and \u2018Leg Over.\u2019<\/p>\n
He has also been involved in groundbreaking collaborations with artists like Beyonc\u00e9 and J Balvin, and he is one of the pioneers of Banku Music, a fusion of Ghanaian and Nigerian sounds and culture.<\/p>\n
As a serial entrepreneur, he founded emPawa Africa in 2018 as a talent incubator program designed to accelerate the careers of African artists.<\/p>\n
Hailed by CNN, Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Forbes for its innovative approach to expanding African music\u2019s global reach, emPawa Africa has since grown into one of Africa\u2019s largest independent music companies, with a track record of breaking global stars like Joeboy and Major League Djz.<\/p>\n
Mr Eazi\u2019s songs have accumulated over 4 billion streams across DSPs, making him one of the most streamed African artists worldwide.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Musician, businessman, and international nomad, Mr Eazi, will release his long-awaited debut solo album on October 27, 2023. This album, a decade in the making, consists of 16 tracks and is now available for pre-order.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12963,"featured_media":31482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,31],"tags":[7,14,32],"class_list":{"0":"post-31485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"category-music","9":"tag-apie-project","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-music"},"yoast_head":"\n