Singer says Afrobeats has become more lucrative but rivalry has weakened relationships among artistes.
Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has expressed concern over what he described as the growing disconnect and rivalry among artistes in Nigeria’s music industry.
Davido made the remarks during a recent episode of the Uncut Podcast, where he reflected on the evolution of Afrobeats, its increasing commercial success and the changing relationships among artistes over the years.
According to the singer, Afrobeats is currently in a strong financial position, with Nigerian artistes enjoying greater international recognition and commercial opportunities than they did in the early years of the genre’s global rise.
However, he said the financial growth of the industry has come at the expense of the camaraderie that once existed among artistes.
“Financially, it is a great time doing Afrobeats, but the relationship amongst artists is a failure,” he stated.
Davido, who has been one of the leading figures in the global expansion of Afrobeats, recalled the early 2010s as a period when artistes maintained closer relationships, collaborated more freely and spent time together outside their individual careers.
He specifically remembered the period surrounding the recording of his breakthrough hit, Dami Duro, saying several prominent artistes were present in the studio during the process.
“Between 2012-2013, we artists used to hang out with each other, but now everyone is on their own,” he said.
The singer added, “When I recorded ‘Dami Duro,’ Wande Coal and a lot of artists were in the studio with me, but now there is no such thing anymore.”
Davido suggested that the transformation of Afrobeats into a highly competitive and lucrative global industry had contributed to the change in relationships among artistes.
As Nigerian music has gained a massive international audience, artistes have increasingly competed for global recognition, streaming numbers, endorsement deals, awards and chart positions.
While Davido acknowledged the financial opportunities available to contemporary Afrobeats artistes, his comments highlighted what he considers to be a downside of the genre’s unprecedented commercial growth.
His remarks also offer a glimpse into the changing dynamics of Nigeria’s music scene, which has evolved considerably since the early 2010s. During that period, artistes frequently appeared on one another’s songs, shared studio sessions and were often seen together at industry events.
Today, the global success of Afrobeats has produced a new generation of internationally recognised Nigerian artistes, but the intense competition that accompanies the growth of the industry has also become increasingly visible.
For Davido, the challenge is therefore not the commercial success of Afrobeats but the apparent loss of the sense of community that accompanied its earlier rise.
His comments have reignited a familiar conversation within the Nigerian music industry over whether the globalisation and commercialisation of Afrobeats have strengthened the genre at the expense of the relationships among those responsible for its growth.