Mr Eazi Reflects On Cancel Culture and Speaking Truths

In a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence Podcast hosted by Joey Akan, Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, better known as Mr Eazi, opened up about a challenging chapter in his career when he faced the brunt of cancel culture for expressing his views on the influence of Ghanaian music on the Nigerian music scene.

The controversy dates back to January 11, 2017, when Mr Eazi took to Twitter to assert that Ghanaian music significantly impacted contemporary Nigerian music. This statement triggered a wave of backlash, with fans, colleagues, and music enthusiasts threatening to cancel the renowned singer and entrepreneur.

Reflecting on the incident, Mr Eazi acknowledged that he stands by his statement despite the threats and challenges and does not regret expressing his opinion. In the podcast, he lamented that some individuals he considered friends in the industry opted to join the cancel culture instead of offering constructive criticism in private.

The ‘Leg Over‘ crooner also swiped at those who continue to harbor resentment, stating that his initial statement was not as profound as some made it out to be, suggesting that their animosity may stem from other reasons.

Addressing the persistent negativity, Mr Eazi expressed his perspective: “When the whole issue with me being canceled, 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? Take this energy to your local politician wey dey run your street.’ You feel me? I didn’t kill anybody. I said what I said.”

He further revealed that the experience of being canceled led him to a sense of freedom, realizing that the hate extended beyond the initial statement and was part of a broader trend of negativity fueled by crowd mentality.

In his song ‘We Dey,’ Mr Eazi alludes to the impact of social media and cancel culture, emphasizing the prevalence of “Twitter fingers steady showing fake love” and the tendency for collective hatred to become trendy for the sake of online engagement.