Davido, dominating Africa with the Afrobeat music


 
David Adedeji Adeleke, popularly known as “Davido” is one of the finest musicians that the African continent has ever produced.  Davido who is known for his hit songs, collaborations, and awards is a full-fledged Afrobeat superstar.  Before he became the superstar musician he is today, he was once an aspiring artist with dreams to conquer the world with his music.


 Afrobeat is a music genre originally from Nigeria. It was co-created by the legendary multi-instrumentalist “Fela Kuti” and talented drummer “Tony Allen”. This sound gave birth to modern https://tonpeak.com/music/naija-music that is currently making waves globally.


The Afrobeat of this modern era can never be discussed without Davido’s name coming up. It is no secret that Davido is dominating Africa with Afrobeat music.

Davido began his career far back in 2012 when the second single in his debut album became an instant hit. “Dami Duro” which was the second single in his debut studio album “Omo Baba Olowo” launched him into stardom and won him the “Next Rated” award at the 2012 Headies award.


In 2016, he founded the record label “Davido Music Worldwide (DMW)” which led to the signing of amazing artists like Mayorkun, Peruzzi, and others.  He went on to release five ( 5) singles including “If” and “Fall” the following year. The release of “If” and “Fall” took his career to another level. “Fall” became the longest-charting Nigerian pop song on Billboard, while “If” gave rise to a worldwide social media activity. This was just the beginning of Davido’s global success.


Before the global success of “If” and “Fall” Davido released many hit songs to the listening pleasure of his Nigerian audience. Hit songs like  “Gobe” which was ranked second on Premium Times “List of the top 10 songs of 2013” this song received positive reviews and helped increase the status of Davido as an Afrobeat musician in Nigeria.


“Skelewu” was another hit song that helped boost Davido’s career as an Afrobeat artist. This song ranked fifth on the Premium Times “List of the top 10 songs of 2013”. It also came with its dance steps and caused a major buzz on social media. In February of 2014, Davido released the hit love song “Aye”. This was one of the best love songs of 2014.


We cannot talk about Davido and how he is dominating the African continent with Afrobeat music without talking about his hit collaborations with different African and international artists.


Davido collaborated with the South African duo “Mafikizolo” to release the hit song “Tchelete (Goodlife)”this hit track was produced by the talented “Oskido” and “Shizzi”. It gained Davido the attention of some African listeners and expanded his reach.  In 2014, he collaborated with Tiwa Savage, Lola Rae, Sarkodie, Diamond Platnumz, and Mi Casa on the song “African Rising”. This song was used for DStv’s campaign to motivate Africans to participate in community-based social investment projects.


He also collaborated with international artists like Meek Mill who assisted on the song “Fans Mi”, he released the song “Blow My Mind” which featured the international superstar “Chris Brown” in 2019. The music video for this song went on to gain a million views under 11 hours of its upload. It became the first Nigerian music video to amass such views in the first 24 hours.


When we thought Davido was done giving us “hit collaborations”, He featured the queen of American rap Nicki Minaj on the song “Holy ground” which featured in his 2020 album “A Better Time”.


The success of Davido’s hit songs “If” and “Fall” began his stride towards dominating Africa with Afrobeat music. “If” which was produced and ghost-written by the talented singer and producer “Tekno” was certified diamond by the Recording Industry of South Africa. It also won the “Best Pop Single” and “Song of the Year” at The 2018 Headies Award. The song “Fall” was certified platinum by the Recording Industry of South Africa and was a top 10 record on Shazam in New York. It was also ranked at number 163 on Pitchfork’s list of the 200 best songs of the 2010s. The music video amassed 100 million views on YouTube making it the first Nigerian artist video to achieve such in 2018.


Davido is one of the most decorated Nigerian artists. He won “Best International Act” at the 2018 BET Awards, becoming the first African artist to receive his award on the main stage. He also won “Best African Act” and was one of the Best Worldwide Act recipients at MTV Europe Music Awards of 2017.


He is not new to performing in front of a large crowd. He sold out the “O2 Arena” in London which was a big deal for his career. In July of 2020, he performed on the “Tonight Show” starring Jimmy Fallon.


On the 10th of September 2020, Davido released his revolutionary hit song “FEM” which became the anthem of the iconic End Sars protest in 2020. The music video for “FEM” broke the record of the fastest https://empenaija.com/music/naija

“https://empenaija.com/music/naija” Nigerian music to reach 1 million views. This record was previously held by Davido for his hit song with Chris Brown titled “Blow My Mind”. So, it is now safe to say that only Davido can break his record.


This song is listed on his 2020 album “A Better Time” and was a song that came at the right time.


Davido is currently one of the most followed Nigerian artists.  He was named as one of the “Top 100” most influential Africans in 2019 by New African Magazine. He also featured on Eddie Murphy’s sequel of the classic movie “Coming to America.”


It is no mistake to refer to Davido as the “King of Modern Day Afrobeat” he has proven this with his successful music career. He is currently dominating Africa with Afrobeat music and making an impact.  His hit songs and hot collaborations speak for themselves. He is one of the most sought-after musicians on the African continent.


Davido is an Afrobeat legend in the making, and the world is his to conquer musically.