Afrobeats artist David Adeleke, known as Davido, has asserted that D’banj was the first Nigerian musician to attain global fame. He noted that prior to D’banj’s 2012 hit single ‘Oliver Twist,’ Nigerian artists struggled to secure international bookings.

In a recent interview with Apple Music, Davido expressed that D’banj’s success marked a significant turning point, enabling African music to gain recognition in the Western market.

He stated, “D’banj was my first vision of a Nigerian artist taking over the world. No one in America was booking Nigerian artists for shows but that changed when I saw Kanye West in D’banj’s ‘Oliver Twist’ video on YouTube.

“It was because of the success of ‘Oliver Twist’ that Americans started booking D’banj, 2Face, P-Square and other African artists for shows. They were making about $1,000,000 per show. So I decided to switch and start doing African music because that’s where I am from.”

While D’banj played a pivotal role in the global spread of African music, particularly Afrobeats, some critics contest Davido’s assertion that he was the first Nigerian artist to achieve international acclaim.

Icons like Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, King Sunny Ade, and Majek Fashek had already established a presence on the global stage during the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Additionally, 2Baba, previously known as 2Face, had garnered multiple international awards for his hit ‘African Queen,’ which was featured in the American romantic comedy ‘Phat Girlz’ (2006), well before the release of D’banj’s ‘Oliver Twist.’