Afrobeats is slowly taking over. This side of the equator we have FuseODG, Maleekberry, Burna Boy and Moelogo. In addition to this, there are afrobeats inspired rappers Geko and J Hus too. Internationally though, two names always come up time and time again; WizKid and Davido.
After a short hiatus – “Adele can go away for 5 years, but I’m quiet for a few months and everyone complains,” he insists – Davido is back blessing us with not only his new EP Son of Mercy today, but also visuals to his leading track “How Long“ featuring Tinashe. It’s a GOOD Friday.
His past is colourful to say the least. From starting university at the age of 15 (Yeah, when you were in Year 10 floating through your GCSE’s, Davido had started his degree in Business Administration), to having to go on the run from the army, the orders for his arrest coming from his own dad, it really has been eventful. To being 16, in London recording in studios, recording his first ever official single here, he eventually returned back to Nigeria in 2011 telling us, “It was literally overnight… I wasn’t popular and then, the next thing I know, I’m the biggest thing in Africa.“
For those who don’t know, Davido described afrobeats as “culture driven music.” With the genre growing globally, it seems, so is its love affair with grime. Giggs recently touching the mic at Boiler Room, Lagos and Stormzy, Skepta, Krept and Konan all performed at a grime takeover event last year. In the words of Davido, “Grime is growing in Nigeria, I performed at the same show as those guys. They killed it.”
Maybe not so surprising, Davido is a fan of UK rap too. When asked who his favourite rappers are, he listed Scrapz, J Spades and Nines, adding, “I’d love to work with Skepta at some point, Fekky too and Nines. Me and Nines have got to work together, I love him!”
He’s already got a few UK collabs under his belt, having already jumped on the “Freak of the Week” remix, collaborated with Moelogo and most recently hit studio with Sneakbo. Talking about collaborations, Davido’s been going IN, with his album rumoured to feature Young Thug, Future and Usher, to name but a few.
His latest EP, Son of Mercy is an offering. “When I got the call, I was comfortable with my culture. I thought, why not take it to the world? Africa is coming. Not only music, but clothing, poetry and movies. Everything. It’s a good time.”
His first track to be released was “Gbagbe Oshi“, which literally translates to “f*ck the bullsh*t”, while his latest track, “How Long” featuring Tinashe has just been freshly released. With this 5 track EP acting as an “introduction” to Davido, his album is set to be released next year, with a tour to follow.