'I asked for equity and they said no' — Mr Eazi on why he turned down Afro Nation

• Mr Eazi revealed he rejected Afro Nation 2019 after requesting equity and audience data instead of a regular performance fee.

• He argued African artists were undervaluing themselves despite driving the festival’s popularity.

• The resurfaced clip has sparked debate online about artist leverage and ownership in Afrobeats.

The clip originates from a lengthy appearance on the 90s Baby Special podcast, recorded roughly two years ago. In it, Eazi describes watching Afro Nation grow into a dominant festival and feeling early on that artists of his stature were underselling themselves by accepting flat performance fees.

"This is like a festival that is like 80% African," he said. "People are coming to see African artists. I was like, okay, I want equity. I was ready to perform, and then you give me equity in the brand."

His demands were twofold. Beyond a stake in the company, Eazi asked for access to audience data, the analytics on every artist performing, reasoning that the information would give him the infrastructure to market his own shows independently. 

"If I wanted to do a show, I can say 'hey, Mr Eazi is doing a show,'" he explained. When neither request was met, he walked. "They were like, no one is asking for that. And I was like, okay, then it's gonna be life-changing money, because there's nobody there that does not know Mr Eazi or doesn't know my songs."

He framed the decision against what he considered a strong negotiating position. This was 2019, coming off a Coachella appearance and a run of shows including a Wizkid concert at the O2. "That's why I didn't play at the show," he said plainly.

The clip has drawn a sharp response online, with a significant portion of commenters arguing that his requests were unrealistic and that his leverage at the time did not justify equity demands. Afro Nation has not issued any public response.

The broader conversation the clip reopens is legitimate. Artists requesting equity in festivals in lieu of, or alongside, performance fees is rare but not without precedent. 

In 2015, Beyoncé performed at a private Uber event in exchange for a reported $6 million in equity rather than a flat fee, a stake that grew considerably in value.

The approach aligns an artist's interests with the commercial success of the event, though it carries proportionate risk if the event underperforms. What critics are asking is if Eazi's read of his own leverage in 2019 was accurate.

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