Something Else

Though he spent most of 2020 continuing to build his multi-armed entertainment empire, Mr Eazi found himself drawn back to the studio to create 2021’s *Something Else*. “This project was inspired by Kel P and Killertunes,” he tells Apple Music—the producers “who kept coming to meet me in Accra until I finally started recording.” A dramatic opener, “The Don” fuses operatic flair and Afro-trap for a relaxed invitation into his kingdom. “I spent the entire year working on building emPawa Africa and morphing into ‘Don Eazi’ the mogul,” he explains. Yet the entrepreneur and record label founder never strays too far from mentoring and supporting emerging African artists: “Cherry” features Kenya’s Xenia Manasseh, an alumnus of the emPawa talent incubator program. There’s classic Eazi here, too, with tender Afrobeats moments that work for club nights and family celebrations (“Love for You”), and an ode to long-term relationships that’s reminiscent of vintage Ghanaian highlife sounds (“E Be Mad”).

Across five breezy, feel-good songs, the rising Afropop star continues to explore the overlap between the sounds of Ghana and those of his native Nigeria.