Nigerian singer and songwriter, Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, popularly known by his stage name Mr Eazi, has thought back on how he became a target of cancel culture after claiming that Ghana influenced Nigerian music.
Recall that Mr. Eazi faced criticism after he tweeted on January 11, 2017, regarding Ghanaian music’s great effect on modern Nigerian music. In reaction, a number of colleagues, fans, and music lovers threatened to cancel him.
In response to the criticism, Mr. Eazi stated that, in spite of the threats, he doesn’t regret making the comment on a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence Podcast with media personality, Joey Akan.
However, he was disappointed when some of the people in the business, whom he thought of as friends, joined others in cancelling him rather than dealing with the issue in private.
The “Leg Over” crooner also attacked individuals who still hold grudges against him, saying his remarks were insignificant and implying that their hostility is the result of unconnected factors.
In his words;
“When the whole issue with me being cancelled, even till tomorrow, I see people come on my [social media] profile and still throw hate. They said, ‘Oh, yeah, you said that.’ I’m like, ‘Fam, really? This energy take it to your local politician, wey dey run you street.’ You feel me? I didn’t kill anybody. I said what I said.
And I said it many years ago. If that is the reason you hate, then you hate me for something else. It’s deeper than that. And realising that just make me feel free. That’s the lens to which I look at e everything. Because I was seeing guys I was saying ‘Hello’ to, coming out to say, ‘F*ck Mr Eazi.’
And I was like, ‘Bro, you could have called me and say Eazi, I just saw this interview, you shouldn’t have said that. This is what I advise you to do.’ But it just became a thing of let’s all band together. And that’s why in my song ‘We Dey’, I said, ‘Twitter fingers steady showing fake love.’ Because it’s crowd mentality. It’s trendy to hate you, and now it’s like for clicks.
There are people making art and nobody is caring about their life whether they jump or sit. It’s like they are invisible. Love and hate is acknowledgement of your existence, I’m even blessed to be able to invoke something.”
