Davido: The Return Of The King by Akpofure Shedrack
Months back i wrote an article lambasting the Sony Records act Davido of disastrously leaving the scene for competitors to take his African throne. The singer on his part made fans realize the fault was not all his but rather his materials were being withheld by his new management Sony Records. The year 2016 ended on a relatively low key mode for him as he payed the price for not dropping any material for a lengthy period totaling eleven odd months by missing out on all major awards.
Since the turn of the year it’s been a new story for the DMW boss as he has again stolen the hearts of the African continent with a chart topping single and back to back music hits from his EP. Realizing he was fast losing his foothold on the African music scene with his desire to hit the international market, Davido took aggressive steps to correct that anomaly by first dropping his manager Kamal Ajiboye who seemed determined to propel the youngster to international acclaim. Declaring via a snap chat post his intention to quit chasing the international market , he says “fuck all that international shit! It’s cool but fuck it im back to basics!!”. That comment got many wondering what happened to the Sony Music deal he snagged.
He released his EP, ‘Son Of Mercy’ late last year under the Sony BMG imprint and has followed that up with a tremendously successful ‘IF’. With the Tekno produced ‘IF’ dominating headlines amidst topping charts and gathering favorable reviews, the year has been a fruitful year for Davido who is set to further wrestle the industry from new school acts threatening to take over his domain with his much publicized ‘Back To Basics’ tour. The Sony Artist announced his ‘Back To Basics’ Nigeria tour, and it’ll be hitting up eight cities around the country. Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Benin, Ilorin, Osogbo, Ibadan, and Lagos are all listed as cities that will be hosting Davido.
The Tour would provide ample opportunity for him to gain further grounds on competitors and also provide a platform for individual artistes from the aforementioned states to showcase their craft. But most importantly, this might be Davido’s opportunity to cement his status as a major player in the Nigerian music industry . He is arguably the hottest act on the continent at the moment (and has been since his debut), and a well-orchestrated national tour, complete with choreographed sets and legitimate merchandise would further set him apart from the rest.
Davido is back to basics and with the year just beginning the stage is set for the return of the king.
Written BY: Akpofure Shedrack, a prolific writer, entertainment critic and seasoned follower of happenings of the Nigerian music industry. Follow on Instagram & Twitter @king_konfam for more reviews.
Artwork BY: Pmykel Designx a renowned cartoonist and graphics designer with an impressive catalogue of works on instagram and the internet at large. Preview more works from him on Instagram @pmykel_designx. Follow on Twitter @pmykel1
This Article is from the series “Industry Talk With Akpofure Shedrack” featuring works from Akpofure Shedrack and Pmykel Designx. Stay tuned for more.
