Davido: The fervent man of the people

It’s an unusually warm December afternoon, and David Adedeji Adeleke, better known by his artist mononym, Davido, has just arrived at the wide parking lot at Eko Convention Centre — a multi-purpose event space in the heart of Victoria Island Lagos, Nigeria. His strides are relaxed, yet purposeful much like his look (he’s sporting a plain black tee paired with black shorts and a trucker hat from Nigerian streetwear brand, Go-Crazy, with a blinding diamond chain on his neck, of course!). A sprawling team of no less than 10 people —photographers, assistants, managers, security — circle him closely.

In a few hours, the gates of the 3,000 capacity space would open to let in a ready-to-party crowd of all ages who intend to spend their Christmas Eve night at Flytime Festival grooving and moving to the artist’s expansive catalogue of afropop hits. And the excitement is already palpable in the atmosphere. Chants of “Davido o!” from a band of uniformed traditional drummers trail the megastar as he makes his way into the building for rehearsals. Not too far behind, an eager fan attempts to shovel his way through his lofty entourage for a chance at a moment with the artist but quickly gets booted out by security while staff of the venue look on in awe of the power his presence possesses. The entire scene is a wholesome frenzy, but Davido remains composed. Calm and cheery even, with barely a pang of angst. He, of course, has been one of the foremost faces of afropop for over a decade. it just simply comes with the territory as the people’s appointed “001” of African music.

“The most challenging part of working with a global superstar I’d say, is staying level-headed,” Asa Asika, Davido’s long-time manager and friend, calmly says as we speak in his hotel room moments after rehearsal wraps.“There’s loads of people who have attained a level of success and let it get to their heads.” In 2024 alone, Davido extended his rather long list of international laurels adding a headline show at New York City’s prestigious Madison Square Garden, three NAACP Image Awards nominations, a second sold-out collection with sports company PUMA, a fourth GRAMMY Awards nomination, and a place as one of Billboard’s 2024 R&B/Hip-Hop Honour Roll Artists, just to mention a few. 

Yet, when it is time to finally take to the stage, he does so with the same vigour and ingenuity as the 19-year-old newbie who was determined to shake up the afro-pop industry back in 2011. “Over dem all/ If them wan turn Goliath/ I be David for life,” he belts out filling the brightly lit hall with lyrics to “Over Dem” the opening single of the 3x Grammy nominated album, Timeless, and the crowd dutifully belts back almost drowning out his unmistakable husky tone. The energy exchange is electric. He pours into the crowd, they pour into him. And the intensity heightens with each passing hour going down hit track after hit track in the setlist woven from the varying eras of his career like 2014’s “Aye”, 2017’s “Like Dat”, 2023’s “Unavailable”, and the recently released “Funds”. The fanfare hits a crescendo when he gets to “Dami Duro”, the pulsating, glossy synth-laden 2012 sophomore single that started it all. 

“The video shoot for Dami Duro was the day that I knew I was about to pop off.” Davido fondly recalls. “My friends, family and even the video director, Clarence Peters, knew it too. At the time, the video cost like 3 million Naira but he ended up going over budget because he believed in that record so much. Till today, that it is still one of the most powerful records in afrobeats.”

It is now four days after the show when we finally get to speak to the mostly bubbly artist in a small photo studio of his choosing in the highbrow Ikoyi neighbourhood. Propped up on a stool in the middle of the room reminiscing on his career highs, his demeanour is in disarming contrast to his on-stage persona from a few nights back. He’s quite visibly on the tired side and understandably so. After all, it’s the tail end of the year and it’s been a particularly busy month of jet setting across the globe, commanding crowds, and supporting his close collaborators. First, joining Chris Brown for his sold-out shows at South Africa’s FNB Stadium then making a special appearance at a wedding in Udaipur, India, supporting his cousin and former HKN label mate, B-Red, at his Lagos concert before making his way to Accra to assist Ghanaian afro-dancehall legend, Stonebwoy for his BHIM Festival. Regardless, he’s determined to make it through the questions mostly due to the unspoken understanding that a crucial piece in the pursuit of greatness and perfection is consistently showing up.

When Davido alongside Asika first set out into the industry all those years ago, it was clear that there was something different. Yes, he was armed with an unmitigated level of self-importance swiftly introducing himself as Omo Baba Olowo (which translates to “son of a wealthy man” from Yoruba) and a deft ability to construct buzzy numbers that would define the African pop culture circuit of the 2010s. But the strongest tool in his arsenal was always his earnest connections with the people around him which has afforded him a sort of superstardom and reverence only rivalled by a few.

To his devoted fans, or the 30BG as they are commonly known, Davido comes off as more than a celebrity far removed from their daily lives. He’s an endearing friend for which they are forever primed to start and end wars for (and they have!). His successes are their successes, his woes are as good theirs and all nearly 40 million of them will show no restraint in letting the world know. How does one man attain this level of admiration and unconditional loyalty you might ask? 

“He is always trying to use his gifts to empower other people. He’s never been one to shy away from helping people,” Asika simply states. This is an approach that Davido has joyfully worn on his sleeves over the years so it’s no surprise that when asked his favourite project, he points to one of his charitable efforts. “The donation I do every year for my birthday is the closest thing to my heart,” he says. “It came about so naturally. Money was donated to me for my birthday and I decided not to keep it but donate it to a motherless baby’s home. It’s something that I do on my birthday every year now with my own funds.” 

His good natured gestures don’t end there. Amongst collaborators and peers, he’s continuously lauded for his benevolent spirit. “I remember Davido being the first Nigerian artist to congratulate me,” Stonebwoy recalls of his earliest interactions with Davido after clinching the Best International Act statuette at the 2015 BET Awards ceremony. “That surprised me because, at the time, there was still considerable tension between Nigerian and Ghanaian artists. But since then, that brother has remained a good friend.” In a similar spirit, Nigerian rapper, Zlatan famously pointed to Davido’s willingness to solely cover the cost for the music video of their 2018 collaboration “Osanle” as his inspiration to continuously pay the way forward for emerging talent. 

With his record label DMW (Davido Music Worldwide), he ushered a bevy of once rising afropop artists, DJs, songwriters, and producers from early signees like Dremo, Perruzi, Lola Rae, DJ Ecool, Lil Frosh, and Mayokun. Now, he houses newer names like Logos Olori, Morravey, and Fresh VDM. “I hope in the future I’m remembered as someone who was a helping hand to a lot of stars. I plan to keep doing it even if I’m not singing anymore,” Davido notes on his vision for his legacy. 

There is still a lot of time left before he ever thinks of slowing down though. A new era is drawing closer and his 5th studio album, 5ive, is on the horizon. As Davido speaks on its creation process his eyes gleefully light up. “I’d got a house in Malibu earlier in the year. All my producers and engineers all camped out there for about two to three weeks, he reminisces. “We made amazing music, we had parties. Some days, we wouldn’t even record. We’d just vibe out, go outside, play tennis. Chris [Brown] would come over, we’d get a chef to come, and we’d eat. It was just so much vibes that we weren’t noticing that we were making some dope music and at the end of the day we created one of the most amazing albums ever.” 

Asika is a bit tight-lipped about what to expect from Davido in this new era stating “I know it’s going to sound cliche if I say “I’m not going to tell you guys”, but I’m not going to tell you guys. “But the next five years are going to be very interesting. It involves a transition. That’s all I can say for now.

From Rolling Stone Africa