ROLLINGSTONE magazine bestows Davido ‘King’ of Afrobeats

In the article by Rollingstone, “What Makes Davido Afrobeats’ Benevolent King” extols the virtues that propelled Davido to reach the apogee of his career. The international Afrobeats’ superstar was named ‘Benevolent King’ of the genre.

The author of the article writes, “Davido has sat at the top of Nigerian pop for years. As he prepares his new album, he’s thinking of who he can lift up”. And he detailed his climbing of the ladder of success and his contributions to the genre of the Nigerian popular music known as Afrobeats, which has become global phenomenon.

“At just 29, he’s something of a veteran performer, having broken through in Africa as a teen with his hit single “Dami Duro” in 2011, from his debut album, Omo Baba Olowo (Yoruba for “son of a rich man,” which he is). Davido’s sophomore album, 2019’s A Good Time, has earned over a billion streams, and he was joined by stars Nicki Minaj, Nas, Lil Baby, and Young Thug on the 2020 follow-up, A Better Time. When we met, he was just a few hours removed from landing in D.C. after a run of three consecutive shows on a North American tour.”

The article also illustrates Davido cardinal points of achieving greatness in Afrobeats. Davido subscribed to the mantra of first making it at home base before taking over the world.

“Though African music is hot internationally, Davido has found that African musicians should take care to secure a base in Africa. “I always tell artists, ‘Always have that home love first. Then, you could take over the world,’” he said, explaining that having the backing of a plentiful and fervent fandom there can make artists in the crowded field of professional entertainers stand out. He mainly recorded his next album in Lagos, where he, naturally, feels most tapped into Nigeria’s ever-evolving musical and cultural landscape. “I get more creative when I’m home,” he said. “Just even having [my] boys around. It was like, ‘What’s going on in town? What are the new slangs? What’s going on? I’ve been away for three months. Update me.’”

The piece also gives an insight on the brotherhood bond between Davido and American rapper DaBaby, reflecting on both friends making a music video in the streets of Lagos, Nigeria. The article dabbles into future projects that Davido are brewing including writing an Africanized Dr. Sessus book and doing a documentary on his before and after achieving fame.