Who Wants King David's Head?
Davido, Wizkid and Burna Boy are playing the game of thrones. Who will survive and who will fall off? The next 12 months will be interesting for Afrobeats.
Davido has got the game buzzing ever since he came back from his self-imposed social media hiatus.
After the much needed trip to the US, a minor reshuffling of his 30BG crew, King David started the roll out for his third LP ‘A Better Time’ with the shot-firing ‘Fem’.
The track with the blaring horns is a warning shot to the haters that won’t let Davido be since the beginning of his music career. Most notably, the song throws a confrontational ‘what’s popping?’ question to the African Giant himself, Burna Boy.
If you let the 30BG Generalissimo tell the story, things between him and Odogwu have been awry since late last year but the public got a wind of it in April when he posted a picture of him and Wizkid as the ‘G.O.A.T.S’ of contemporary music culture in Nigeria.
Burna Boy, whose arc took a turn for the better with his 2018 album ‘Outside’ that immensely boosted his international profile, did not take kindly to this assertion.
For the former Nigerian music outcast, the photo was not a true reflection of the power standings in the music scene.
In the last 2-3 years, if international clout and strength of discography are anything to go by, Burna Boy has been strongest among the ruling Afrobeats triumvirate of Davido and Wizkid.
One thing about this trio, is that they all started with heavy interest in rap music. Afrobeats is hedonistic but it does not mean these three young men have shed the togas of ambition and competitive nature that Hip-Hop is known for.
Burna Boy has always desired to be the numero uno of contemporary pop of Nigeria music, the First Man of the Afro Republik.
It was in his grasp during his ‘Like To The Party’ era but the quick recognition his different sound got him, turned into dust due to bad career decisions and personal demons that took the best of him.
Now that Burna Boy is sitting at the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro, he does not have the desire to share the throne with Davido. Odogwu’s clap back at the Wiz-Davido photo, was a tweet that suggested that Davido’s success in music is mainly down to his father’s wealth. This is falsehood.
The Nigerian music industry is littered with the offspring of Nigeria’s ruling 1% class. Many of them are lost in the crazy jungle that is the Nigerian music industry. Davido is an exception to the rule.
When he released his debut single ‘Back When’ featuring Naeto C in 2011, not many people gave him the chance including myself. The brash upstart would follow up with his classic single ‘Dami Duro’. Since then, Davido has gone on to release more hits, smashed records and led the Afrobeats invasion even to the most obscure places in the world.
All these have not satiated his critics and naysayers. To the haters, Davido will remain the spoilt Banana Island brat that is fucking up the game.
Many of his detractors/haters belong to Wizkid FC who are vitriolic in nature.
Members of Wizkid FC only worship one deity, and that is the Mashalla of the Made In Lagos narrative, Wizkid. He is their Alpha and Omega and no one should ever dare be revered as him.
In Bounce Radio’s interview hosted by Ebuka (who should be Nigeria’s Man of The Year), Davido laid out his frustrating relationship with Wizkid.
At the beginning, Wiz was more of an inspiration to Davido. The dynamics of the relationship would change rather quickly due to OBO’s meteoric rise in the music scene in just 12 months.
Soon enough, the rich upstart had become a rival (perceived by many). What was meant to be a dictatorship for Wizkid, now became the sharing of a throne.
Davido and Wizkid’s relationships have had its ups and downs. From Wizkid making a cameo in ‘Dami Duro’ to now having ‘bad energy’ 8 years later.
In between this period, shots have been thrown, there have been reconciliations, joint performances and bad blood again.
Presently, things are heated like never before. Davido’s refreshing interview has shown us a glimpse of this game of thrones.
The revelations in the interview should not be swallowed completely. Everyone is the good guy in his own story but one thing is clear, Davido now has to deal with the bromance of two of his biggest rivals Burna Boy and Wizkid.
Wizzy appears to have aligned with Burna which favours the dreadlock singer, seeing that Wiz is not the strongest out of the three presently, although his upcoming album ‘Made In Lagos’ might change all of that.
Many might want to see Davido chased out but it is not that easy. The 30BG boss is a wild ticket, you can never count him out and you never know what he is about to bring to the table.
After his unimpressive ‘Son of Mercy’ EP which started a downward spiral of his career in 2016, Davido turned things around quickly. He hired his former manager Asa Asika and went on a mesmerizing run in 2017, dropping four singles ‘If’, ‘Fall’, ‘Fia’, and the less successful but equally brilliant ‘Like Dat’.
Since then he has only gotten stronger. His sophomore album might have not been flawless but banging collaborations with Chris Brown, Popcaan and Wurld ensured that he knocked speakers from Lagos, London to Los Angeles.
The bone of contention here is that the rejuvenation of Davido’s career falls into the same timeline as that of Burna Boy. And forget what the zen master J. Cole said on ‘Middle Child’. We have seen clearly in this dispensation of Afrobeats, two legends cannot co-exist.
D’banj, P-Square and 2face Idibia might have coexisted peacefully but the second generation of Naija pop alpha acts are not doing that.
So what gives? Anyone who knows anything about the First Triumvirate of the Roman Empire won’t be surprised about what is happening now. A musical war is going on.
Everything should be kept on wax and not spill to the streets. Competition is not a bad thing especially if it inspires hit records and classic albums. This is the best case scenario.
The worst case scenario is that these three top dogs will burn themselves out and a new triumvirate of Rema, Joeboy and Fireboy will finally ascend after waiting in the wings for two years.
The next 12 months will be interesting for Afrobeats.
Whatever the outcome is, Davido should be given his respect and stripes for what he has done for the game.
This is not the first time that King David’s neck is on the line and it might not be the last.
Wherever your alliances may lay, remember that Davido has been counted out so many times but he is still here.
Such a fantastic piece. I like how you infused the J'cole ''Two legends co-existing'' narrative