How Mr Eazi pioneered banku sound in the Nigerian music industry
Banku music is a subgenre of afrobeats pioneered by Mr Eazi and here are details on Mr Eazi contribution in banku sound to the Nigerian music industry
Ghanaian highlife bounce is at the basis of the genre, which is combined with Nigerian chord progressions and subsequently influenced by other genres such as reggae, R&B, and hip-hop.
Mr Eazi‘s style is mellow and laid-back, with a lot of Pidgin English and percolating rhythms.
The genre is called ‘Banku’ in reference to the popular Ghanaian dish, the meal is made up of a variety of ingredients, similar to how Banku is a fusion of numerous genres.
Banku goes a slow tempo sounds or rhythm, however, Whether or whether you play a musical instrument, you are certainly familiar with the concepts of beat, melody, and harmony, example on the track ‘Leg Over’
Despite the fact that many people are aware of these concepts, some nevertheless have difficulty distinguishing between the two most fundamental musical elements tempo and rhythm that made up banku sound.
In contrast to the normal strong energy of Lagos, Nigeria, Eazi credits Ghana for the mellowed sound in his songs.
Nigerian songwriter and singer Mr Eazi is an artist who’s made a name for himself by evoking effortlessness in everything he does.
Even though it fuses Nigerian Afrobeats with Ghanaian inspirations, his unique style, which he’s nicknamed “Banku” music, never seems to break a sweat.
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Mr Eazi, who was born Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade in the Nigerian city of Port Harcourt in 1991, is far from a slacker.
He came to Ghana at the age of 15 to study mechanical engineering and completed his degree while working three other jobs, one of which was as a nightclub promoter.
However, the music eventually triumphed, and he released his first mixtape, About to Blow, in 2013.
Two of his singles, “Pipi Dance” and “Bankulize,” were hits on dance floors in Ghana and the United Kingdom, and he returned to Lagos in 2016 to try his luck in the region’s biggest market.
Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos, released in 2017, included songs like “Leg Over,” which are notable for what they don’t do, they’re purposely underfunded, employing minimal beats with just enough swing to attract listeners.
It’s a clever ploy, and he’s kept that air of floating above it all even after signing with Diplo’s Mad Decent label, opening for J Balvin, being selected an Apple Music Up Next artist, and embarking on his own solo tour in the United States in 2019.
Eazi’s hustle hasn’t stopped, he’s now the founder of emPawa, a hybrid charity and investment initiative aimed at providing the next generation of African musicians with the resources they need to flourish.
