Tekno joins Mr Eazi’s emPawa Africa as investor and partner

 Nigerian singer Tekno has joined forces with fellow artist Mr Eazi’s label services company emPawa Africa via his Cartel Music label, taking on the roles of investor and partner in the venture.

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  Tekno.

The new arrangement will see Tekno’s imprint releasing new music via emPawa Africa, starting with his first single of 2024 ‘Wayo’. Tekno joins Grammy-winning Haitian DJ and record producer Michaël Brun among notable investors in the company, which supports independent African artists and labels while preserving their economic and creative freedom.

“With this deal with Tekno and Cartel Music, we are ushering in a new phase of emPawa,” Mr Eazi said. “This phase will see us partnering with African artists at different stages of their careers who want to maintain financial and creative freedom, yet move from talent for hire to equity participation. It’s a first-of-its-kind deal for Afrobeats.”

“This strategic alliance with emPawa promises to be a gamechanger for the African music industry and a beacon of opportunity for artists,” said Tekno. “We look forward to seeing how this partnership will catalyse the growth of emPawa Africa, its artists and the broader African music ecosystem.” 

Tekno, who boasts over 2.5 billion streams, is behind hit songs like ‘Duro’, ‘Pana’ and ‘Skeletun’. He is also credited with writing and producing Davido’s global hit ‘If’, as well as Swae Lee and Drake’s ‘Won’t Be Late’, both of which achieved RIAA Gold certification.

Since its establishment in 2018, emPawa says it has provided budding artists with the resources, training, and tools necessary for global success, working with the likes of Joeboy (Nigeria), Major League DJz (South Africa), FAVE (Nigeria), King Promise (Ghana) and DJ Neptune (Nigeria) among others.

In February, following his exit from emPawa, Joeboy and his newly launched Young Legend label secured a global distribution deal with Warner Music. Earlier this month, Ghanaian dancehall artist J.Derobie, another emPawa alumnus, also launched his own label Turf Way Records, via which he dropped his new EP Firm After All.