Mr Eazi always had the spirit of entrepreneurship. “I always knew it would come to this phase where I get influential enough for the music to open doors for me and provide the cash flow needed to have more creative freedom.” That’s why I decided that of all the things I was passionate about that showed traction, and it was going to be music.
“I read Jay-Z’s book, Empire State of Mind, and it felt like I’d seen the blueprint, the future, and what could come out of it. The longer we spoke, the more difficult it was to distinguish between Mr Eazi, the artiste, the startup founder/CEO, and the investor.Īnd when we started talking about how he successfully wears many hats, he told me why he made music the fulcrum of all he does. I’m not sure what it means, but whenever you hear it, everyone knows Don Eazi is about to hit the stage or screen. Many artistes are known for their signature intros, which can be phrases or chants, and Mr Eazi is identified by “Zagadat.” “Entrepreneurship truly makes me free,” he said as we continued our chat, oblivious of the passing of time. Oluwatosin wanted to have the creative freedom to try his hands on anything he put his mind to. In context, it was the entrepreneurship spirit.
“I’ve been driven by freedom, and I’ve been obsessed with this from early in life.” Mr Eazi also has an obsession, and you get no prizes for guessing that it is linked to the creative. In hindsight, this understanding is what has guided him towards success in every venture he has undertaken. He compared a founder pitching their idea to a creative coming forward to sell their unique product. “You see,” he said, “the similarities between a musician or a creative as a startup and a business became very glaring to me it’s almost the same thing.” This explains his interest in many other business ventures for which he has justifications. This perhaps explains his strong commitment to investing in up-and-coming talents in Africa, nurturing them along their path.Īpparently, music has always been a hobby for Mr Eazi. And in an interview with Coachella in 2019, he said his current achievements wouldn’t have been possible without their show of largesse. His friends crowdfunded $1,000 for him to shoot his first video. A mechanical engineering graduate, Oluwatosin traded FMCGs and gold before deciding to stick to music. Oluwatosin’s career track hasn’t always been straightforward. Strangely, in an industry where one can make tons of money, his excitement mostly comes from creating music in the studio the monetary value of the music produced is secondary in his books.Īs with most success stories, there’s some history. There’s some form of joy that comes from conceiving an idea and seeing it come to life.” “I’m someone who is fascinated with seeing ideas come to life. Source: SuppliedĪ look at the mark the young artiste has made in a short time shows that he is clearly motivated.