VGMA: Organisers couldn’t pay my $30,000 performance fee – Mr Eazi

Many tipped Nigerian-born Afrobeat artiste, Mr Eazi to win the African Artiste of the Year at this year’s Ghana Music Awards, but that was not to be.

Considering the work he had done over the past year, other nominees, Patoranking, Runtown, Tekno, Nathaniel Bassey, were no match for him but Runtown, to the disappointment of many, picked up the award.

As it has become the norm lately, the African artiste who shows up at the awards, ends up winning the African Artiste of the Year. It was, therefore, no surprise, when Runtown arrived in Ghana and performed at the awards on April 8, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC).

Reacting to issue for the first time in an interview on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM with KMJ, Mr Eazi, born Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, said while he does know the criteria for choosing winners, he did not show up in Ghana because organisers, Charterhouse could not pay his performance fee.




“I don’t know the reason why I didn’t get the award. I want to believe that the organisers know the reason why I didn’t get the award maybe by their criteria but what I know is there was a request to be booked for that performance and my manager gave them the price and we even gave them a cheap price [$30,000] for the show and we didn’t hear from them anymore,” the ‘Skin Tight’ hit singer revealed.

He further disclosed that, “you have to understand on the day of the awards, I was performing in DC (Washington DC). I earned $35,000 performing in the University of Maryland on that night. So, it was a business decision but perhaps if they had made further negotiations, you know, me I love Ghana…”

In the video below, Mr Eazi also recounted a scuffle at the backstage of the 2016 edition of the awards, where he was prevented from joining Wizkid on stage.

He reveals that he had to force his way to join Wizkid on stage.

Source:Myjoyonline