I rejected £356,000 record deal when I had just £20 in my account – Mr. Eazi

Singer Mr. Eazi has disclosed that he was once offered a £356,000 (N26,929,873) record deal but rejected it at a time he had only £20 (N9353) left on him.

His decision to reject what may seem a mouthwatering deal for many was based on the premise that he was worth more than that.

He tells Saturday Beat: “If your self-esteem is based on how much you have in your bank account, then you have a serious self-esteem issue. Right from when I sang my very first song, someone offered me N80m record deal but I turned it down and at the time, I did not have N300,000 in my account.”

He continues: “My first record deal offer from the UK was £356,000, I turned it down but at the time, I had done a tour and the total amount I earned was £12,500. I used the money to shoot the videos of some of my songs. I was left with £20; they were offering me £365,000, but I turned it down. The reason I did that was because my value was not dependent on what was in my account.”

Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade as the musician is known in private life schooled in Ghana where he had the opportunity to record with music producer PeeWee as well as KluMonsta.

He released his debut mixtape, ‘About to Blow’ in July 2013 and shot to limelight following the release of ‘Skin Tight’ in 2015.

Despite touring the world and making huge money from music, the musician says he does not own a car because there are better things to do with his money.

“Till today, I use Uber but I do not care and by the way,” he says. “I don’t even pay for the ride because I was given Uber credit. But if you see me in the Uber vehicle and feel that Mr Eazi is poor, what is my business (with that)? For instance, everybody around me has cars, and besides, I buy cars for people. If it makes sense for me to use an Uber, why should I drive? Why would I pay about N100m for a car that I would probably drive just five times a year?”

“In the short time I have spent on earth, I have made a lot of money. While I was into mining, I had so much money that I was living at a place that was a stone’s throw away from the airport in Accra and I was paying my rent in dollars.

“I was making a lot of money. That shows you how expensive it was but I went from there to squatting with my friend in a one-room apartment. I was sleeping on the floor in his room. Also, when I was doing the business of selling beverages, we started with a crate and in a short while, we began to import four containers every two weeks. From importing four containers every two weeks, we went back to nothing. In my life, I have had ups and down. If my self-worth was based on material things, I would have killed myself.”

Mr Eazi is currently in a relationship with Temi, daughter of Nigerian billionaire oil magnate, Femi Otedola.