Mr Eazi & Angelique Kidjo Release ‘Òròkórò’
Afropop superstar Mr Eazi has shared the striking, regal video for “Òròkórò,” featuring the undisputed queen of African music, Angelique Kidjo.
The visual, shot in France by director Thomas Leloup, is the latest drop from Mr Eazi’s critically-acclaimed 2023 album The Evil Genius. Among the most distinctive and unique album projects to emerge from the afrobeats movement, The Evil Genius has been championed by the likes of The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Complex, CNN, The FADER and Rolling Stone since its October release via Eazi’s own emPawa Africa.
One of six tracks from The Evil Genius produced by Nigerian superproducer and longtime Mr Eazi collaborator Kel-P (Burna Boy, Wizkid), “Òròkórò” represents the album’s spiritual core, while boasting one of its most lush arrangements. The track, which interpolates a lyric from Kidjo’s ‘90s-era classic “Wombo Lombo,” is sung largely in Yoruba, with Eazi and the five-time Grammy winner expressing deep and humble gratitude for their gifts in life. “I am saying: What God has done for me in secret can’t be quiet, you can see the love God has shown me,” Mr Eazi said.
“Òròkórò” was recorded between Kokrobite, Ghana and Ouidah, Benin, a city regarded as the mecca of West African Vodun (voodoo), and also Angelique Kidjo’s hometown. “This song holds immense significance for me, resonating deeply within my soul,” said Mr Eazi, who previously teamed with Kidjo on her Grammy-winning 2021 album Mother Nature. “The opportunity to collaborate with a true legend, someone I admired while growing up, means everything to me.”
Ouidah’s spiritual history and traditions inform Leloup’s captivating visual treatment, as did a photograph of The Dahomey Amazons, women warriors who operated out of modern-day Benin between the 17th and 19th centuries, the director said. Filmed between Paris’ Studio Kremlin and the atmospheric woods of Forêt de Fontainebleau, the “Òròkórò” video intricately weaves a narrative of history and spirituality, with Mr Eazi embodying a prophet sharing his message of thanksgiving, while Angélique Kidjo reigns as a queen symbolizing strength and resilience.
“I wanted to make a true ‘spiritual musical,’” Leloup said. “Mr Eazi and Angelique Kidjo are two of the most significant artists in West Africa—two icons. So, in my concept, I try to explore this idea of spirituality and icons. Moreover, I put my personal visual universe, inspired by Wong Kar Wai, Kurosawa, or Wim Wenders, to make a mix with the universe of Eazi.
“The idea was to make a sort of ritual. Angelique was like a queen on a throne surrounded by women, and Mr. Eazi was like a preacher or messenger with dancers around him. The music video is a succession of tableaux, like a musical.”
“Òròkórò” is the fourth official video from The Evil Genius, following the previously released “Legalize,” “Chop Time, No Friend” and “Exit” (feat. Soweto Gospel Choir).