Nigerian-born artist, Mr Eazi, is back with Maison Rouge, a 7-track EP he recorded while living in a guesthouse of the same name in Cotonou, Benin. And according to him, the music takes him back to the Banku Music that started it all.
In 2015, Mr Eazi made a rallying call that signalled the start of his music movement: “Make we bankulize!” While living and receiving a tertiary education in Ghana, he had been greatly influenced by Ghanaian bounces, highlife and pidgin, as well as Nigerian chord progressions and patterns. So he fused them into a rhythm, resulting in a ballad-like yet groovy sound that captures the warmth and communal essence of West African life and experience.
In his rallying single “Bankulize”, Mr Eazi isn’t just singing about food and romance, he’s singing about daily experiences and feelings. Banku, after all, is a complete meal that’s delicious, pocket-friendly and generally loved across social lines. It’s the kind of dish that satisfies both the student stretching a tight budget and the couple seated for a weekend food date. By invoking Banku, Eazi builds a shared language of simplicity and enjoyment that cuts through borders, regions, class, and status.
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Music boosts the cultural and social aspects of a dining experience. However, it must have been a remarkable thought in the 16th century that the fermented and cooked maize meal created along the South-Eastern coast of Ghana would not only be passed down as tradition, but also influence contemporary West African pop music in the 21st century.
Five hundred years after its introduction, Banku — a single-serving dumpling that’s eaten with okro or groundnut soup and now sold on Nigerian streets — has been transformed into music. This transformation didn’t happen in isolation. Cultural exchange and migration carried both the dish and its name across borders.
To “bankulize” is to have a good time without excess and find comfort in what’s familiar yet deeply satisfying. It’s Eazi’s way of turning everyday influences, memories, flavours, and rhythms into a music subgenre and a metaphor for cool, content living.
His approach to this relationship-themed EP is personal, much like writing in a diary. He sings in his unique laid-back delivery style, fitting perfectly into the album’s mood and release statement: “Just me, my thoughts and melodies.”
If you fawned over the clips and photos of his talked-about wedding to Temi Ajibade (nee Otedola), or/had expectations of a wedding-themed music, you’re in for something else. The first track, “Violence”, is Eazi singing about how what was thought to be simple love has become the survival of the fittest. It’s a sombre deduction of the situation he finds himself in, where his relationship is headed. “Wait For Your Love” is about unrequited love. His patience has run out, and he’s moving on.
“Casanova” deeply leans into highlife sound. Under light percussion and minimal vocal backups, Mr Eazi hits each strum of the guitar, extending his good-loving arms to his partner. “Make E No Tey” plays next, and for the time in this EP, a track feels like his personal experience rather than a first-person narrative. Here, he’s an impatient man consumed by love that feels like destiny; all he can think of is when he’ll hold his lover again and finally begin their forever.
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Next is “Corny”, a contrasting blend of hope, fierce protection and intense devotion. Though Eazi fears his love interest might turn out corny or unpredictable, he’s ready to tear down mountains for her. “Bus Stop”, the most percussive track on the EP, follows. He confesses his love, one could feel a smile reach his eyes, as he simply states, “Baby, before I dey always run away from love / Wey as I see you, I no wan to ever run away from your love o.”
Maison Rouge ends with “Love Me Now”, a gentle love confession. He sings with the sharp clarity of a man who suddenly understands the void she leaves, declaring he’d take her and their love in the present moment, leaving no space for a later time that felt too far away.
This isn’t the music for the club. It’s drawn from Eazi’s introspective musings, or perhaps others’ shared experiences. The simple songwriting achieves a universal resonance that causes listeners to feel as though they’re hearing their own life story set to music. This EP maintains Eazi’s sit-down, conversational tone, but captures the fading appeal of youth and transitions to maturity.
Since Mr Eazi started making waves in 2016, his music has gone from place to place. As expected of a globe-trotter, his sound is highly influenced by the urban music of areas that have been home to him in his time of creation. His sonic palette expands as he sees more of the world, and her perspective broadens.
His music has gone from his debut Accra to Lagos, gone past his sophomore Lagos to London, and explored South African sounds on his third album, Chop Life Vol. 1: Mzansi Chronicles. By 2023, Eazi was already on a global sound expedition, exploring new ways to provide a refreshing experience for music and art consumers in general. He has completely integrated his creative activities with his entrepreneurial side. He has placed himself as the guy at the edge of curiosity and the front lines of sprawling trends among his peers. A result of this is the fourth album, The Evil Genius, an immersive art exhibition featuring sixteen unique artworks created for each track on the music project.
Maison Rouge, his fifth music project, might not be Mr Eazi’s best work. But it continues to be inspired by personal stories and his local environment. He once chased the fleeting thrill of cool kid parties and the attention of every coveted babe, but not anymore. He’s now content to have traded those pursuits for the occasional, casual night out and a quiet, single connection.
Speaking of connection, Eazi stays committed to the Banku Music sound that brought him to the limelight a decade ago. Industry trends have not dictated the beat of his drums. And his quiet time has been devoted to refining his sound and finding himself again. The influences in his music can be subtle at times, but the fusions deliver an enjoyable listening experience, as heard here, just like a well-made banku dish gets the fondness of excited taste buds.
Even though to “bankulize” no longer feels the same, Mr Eazi brings the groove back.
