David Adeleke (born November 21,
1992), better known by his stage
name Davido , is a Nigerian American
recording artist, performer, and
record producer. In 2011, he co-
produced and released “Dami
Duro”, a song well-received
throughout Nigeria. Along with his
elder brother Adewale Adeleke,
Davido is the co-owner of HKN
Music, a record label home to Sina
Rambo, B. Red and DeeKay. He has
produced for numerous artists,
including Naeto C, Skales, Tiwa
Savage, and Sauce Kid. In April 2012,
he signed an endorsement deal with
MTN Nigeria. On October 23, 2013,
Davido partnered with Guinness for
the “Guinness World of More”
concert, held at the Eko Convention
Centre of the Eko Hotel and Suites in
Victoria Island, Lagos on November 3,
2013. Davido has won a Kora Award,
a Channel O Music Video Award, a
Nigeria Music Video Award, three
Headies awards, four Nigeria
Entertainment Awards, and two
Dynamix All Youth Awards, among
others.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Davido
relocated to Lagos, Nigeria at a young
age. He released his debut album
Omo Baba Olowo in 2012, which
contained the singles “Back When”
featuring Naeto C, “Dami Duro”, “All
of You”, “Overseas” featuring Sina
Rambo, “Ekuro”, “Gbon Gbon”, and
“Feel Alright” featuring Ice Prince.
Davido has released “Gobe”, “One of
a Kind”, “Skelewu”, and “Aye”, four
singles off his upcoming album; the
upcoming album, currently untitled,
is slated to be release in the fourth
quarter of 2014.
Life and music career
1992–2010: Early life
“I’ve been doing music for like 3
years but I took it seriously in March
2011. I was formerly in a group called
KB international in America. It wasn’t
working out so I thought I should
just do this on my own that was
when I moved back to Nigeria. When
I came, the only people I knew in the
music industry were Wande Coal and
Don Jazzy, they are like family. I told
them that this is what I wanted to do
and they advised me. I was around
people that were musically inclined.
Wande Coal is like a big brother to
me, I’ve known him for years, even
before he dropped his first album.
Shank is also like a brother to me,
one of the first people that
introduced me to the industry. I love
music, and why not do something
you love and are happy doing and
making money at the same time.”
Davido on his decision to venture
into music Davido was born on
November 21, 1992 to Mr. and Mrs.
Adeleke in Atlanta, Georgia. His
father, Chief Deji Adeleke, is a
Nigerian business magnate while his
mother, the late Dr. Vero Adeleke,
was a university lecturer. He attended
The British International School in
Lagos and travelled frequently
between the United States, the
United Kingdom, and Nigeria. Davido
studied Business Administration at
Oakwood University prior to
relocating to Nigeria. He also studied
Business Administration at Babcock
University in Ogun State. Davido’s
love for entertaining people was
inspired by his late mother.
2011-2012:Omo Baba Olowo Work
on Davido’s debut studio album,
Omo Baba Olowo (a Yoruba
translation for “son of a rich man”),
began in 2011. On May 7, 2011,
Davido produced and released “Back
When” featuring Naeto C , his first
song ever recorded. The song served
as the album’s lead single and
received numerous airplay on radio
and TV stations across Nigeria. The
music video for the single, uploaded
to YouTube on May 9, 2011, was shot
and directed in Nigeria by Clarence
Peters. During an interview with
Adesope of Factory 78 TV, Davido
said he recorded “Back When” in
London. On October 30, 2011, Davido
released “Dami Duro” , a song he co-
produced with Shizzi. The music
video for “Dami Duro” was released
on January 8, 2012. It was shot and
directed in Lagos by Clarence Peters
and was released during the Occupy
Nigeria protests. In an interview
posted on Notjustok, Davido spoke
on the release and composition of
“Dami Duro”, saying, “I recorded
Dami Duro in August. What happened
was, I was in the studio, I had the
beat so I freestyled on it and
everyone was like “that shit hard”. I
never touched the song for like 3
months and I sent it out to some
friends. Before I knew it the songs
leaked. So when it leaked I was like
alright I gotta rush and turn this into
a single.” On May 6, 2012, HKN Music
released “Overseas”, a single off the
album. The unfinished version of the
song leaked prior to the official
release. On September 28, 2012, HKN
Music released the music video for
“All of You”. The song was produced
by Gospelondabeat. When the song
was released, it was rumored to be a
“beef track”. In another interview with
Factory78Tv, Davido debunked the
rumors and said he recorded the
song with Gospel after meeting him
at a mall. To Further promote the
album, Davido released music videos
for “Ekuro”, “Gbon Gbon”, and “Feel
Alright”.
2013-present:Upcoming album In
early 2013, Davido began recording
his second studio album. On
February 25, 2013, he released the
upcoming album’s lead single titled
“Gobe”.The song was produced by
Shizzi, HKN Music’s in-house
producer. Charles Mgbolu of
Vanguard Media Limited commented
on the release of the single, saying,
“It’s a beautiful song with a
tremendous video running along. In
Gobe, Davido is beaten up by thugs
after winning the girl. It’s a song that
exudes fun from start to finish.” The
music video for the single was shot
in South Africa by Godfather
Productions. The song was ranked
second on Premium Times list of the
Top 10 songs of 2013. On May 13,
2013, Davido announced via Twitter
that the second single, “One of a
Kind”, from the upcoming album
would be released. The song was also
produced by the aforementioned in-
house producer. The music video for
“One of a Kind” was shot and
directed in South Africa by Tebza of
Godfather Productions. It visualizes a
united Africa rich in culture and
music. On August 13, 2013,
“Skelewu”, the third single, was
released. It was ranked 5th on the
aforementioned list of the top 10
songs of 2013. The song peaked at
number one on Afribiz’s Top 100
chart. A dance competition with a
cash prize of $3000 (N480,000) was
announced days after the release of
the song. Davido uploaded an
instructional dance video onto
YouTube and asked fans to upload
videos of themselves dancing to
“Skelewu”. On October 10, 2013,
Davido declared Bello Moshood
Abiola the winner of the competition,
tweeting: “Congrats my lil bro kiddy!!
Won the 3k dollars skelewu
competition .. I’m gonna change this
kids life!! More things to come
kiddy!!” A week after announcing the
winner of the Skelewu dance
competition, a Sesan directed music
video was released to the public.
Shortly after the release of the video,
Davido took to twitter to debunk the
video, claiming that someone
betrayed him by releasing it. He also
said that he’ll re-shoot the video with
Moe Musa, a UK based music video
director. He tweeted: “Pls disregard
the leak that is not the official video…
The official video is being redone.
Thx ..”.
Sesan released a statement saying:
“My attention is drawn toward the
chaos surrounding the release of the
Skelewu video. Myself and my team
shot the video for Davido in Nigeria
and to the best of my knowledge my
client and his team were very happy
with the result, when they watched/
and approved the video. If he has
since had a change of heart, that is
ok. I am not in any way responsible
for the release of the video. I believe
Davido and myself did a very good
job regarding the video production
and as a professional of over 10
years. I find it very irresponsible and
immature if my client and his
management publicly put out false
statements/comments, in an attempt
to tarnish my name, credibility and
reputation. I remain dedicated,
humble, focused and as hard working
as ever. Thank you to all my fans and
industry professionals.” On October
21, 2013, the official music video for
the single, shot and directed in
London by Moe Musa, was uploaded
onto YouTube at a total length of 3
minutes and 56 seconds. On February
2, 2014, Davido released “Aye”, the
fourth single from his upcoming
album. The song was produced by T
Spice. The music video for “Aye” was
released on February 7, 2014; it was
directed by Clarence Peters.
According to the music video’s
synopsis, “Davido plays a poor farmer
who falls in love with the prince’s
love interest.”
Endorsements On April 6, 2012,
Nigerian Entertainment Today
reported that MTN Nigeria signed
Davido to a N30 million deal,
unveiling him as the face of MTN
Pulse, a marketing campaign for
Nigerian youths. On October 24,
2013, Pulse Nigeria reported that
Guinness Nigeria signed Davido to an
endorsement deal. As part of the
deal, Davido performed at the
Guinness World of More Concert
alongside P-Square, D’banj, Wizkid,
Ice Prince, Burna Boy, Olamide,
Phyno, Chidinma, Waje, and Tiwa
Savage, among others.
Controversial incidents
Nightclub brawl
After the conclusion of the Guinness
Colorful World of More Concert on
November 3, 2013, Davido and his
entourage went to the Nu Grotto
night club in Victoria Island for a
night of fun. While at the club, the
alleged confrontation between
Davido’s bodyguard, Tijani
Olamilekan Ogbeide (Teejay), and DJ
Jaydee, a “known” DJ, led to an
escalation of violence at the club. The
incident that transpired on the night
of November 3 left several people
injured, including Davido’s bodyguard
who was treated for neck wounds.
Several hours after the incident, there
were numerous accounts and
interpretations of the incident.
Davido’s management gave their
account of the incident and
debunked all other accounts.
According to their account, Jaydee
allegedly confronted Teejay with
Davido’s missing ATM card and asked
for permission to speak to Davido
personally. After being refused
access to Davido, Jaydee allegedly
dropped the card on the floor in
anger and attacked Teejay while he
was picking up the card from the
floor. Jaydee allegedly struck Teejay
repeatedly and ran off into the club.
Assault case On August 12, 2012,
Crime Digest reported that Davido
allegedly assaulted Femi Ajibola, a
taxi driver. Ajibola said the incident
started when he got a call from a
young woman who requested a taxi
ride from her house to a hotel in the
Lekki Phase 1 area. Ajibola said that
the girl and her friend asked him to
wait for them. He said that moments
later, one of the girls approached the
taxi cab screaming and pleading to
enter the car. He claim he saw Davido
slap the girl while she entered the
car. He also claim Davido knocked his
face against the cab’s steering wheel
while accusing him of being the girl’s
boyfriend. Moreover, Ajibola said
that four of Davido’s entourage beat
him up severely and took the keys to
his taxi cab. Ajibola said that he went
to report the case to the nearest
police station and was told to do so
the next day. Ajibola told Crime
Digest that he had a total of
N100,000 in the car and had plans of
using the money to payoff the dealer
for the balance he owed on the car.
He said he didn’t see the money in
the car upon returning to the car the
next day. He said he managed to get
hold of Davido’s “number” and
contacted him; he said someone from
Davido’s camp called him back and
promised to pass the message to
him. After reporting the incident to
the police station, Ajibola said he and
police officers went to the girl’s
house. Ajibola said the girl told police
officers that Davido and his
entourage didn’t assault her. Ajibola
said he learnt that Davido was dating
one of the girls he picked up and that
the fight between them started after
she caught Davido in bed with
another girl who she was friends
with. Ajibola told Crime Digest that
the DPO at the police station assured
him that they will investigate the case
and find out the truth. Ajibola said
that after Sharon Adeleke dropped
off the taxi cab’s key, he pleaded
with her and the DPO to compensate
him for “the incident”. Davido’s
publicist, Valerie Obaze, denied his
involvement in the incident saying,
“Davido has no knowledge of any
incident involving the assault of a taxi
driver or the illegal seizure of his car.
He does not condone violence of any
sort and will not be commenting on
this untrue allegation.” Davido has
since denied the incident and
referred to it as a case of blackmail.
He specifically said: “I want to assure
all my beloved fans and friends that I
am not wanted by the police and no
officer in the Nigerian police gave an
order for my arrest. I did not beat up
any taxi driver and the lady that hired
the taxi driver and all those that are
involved in this matter have made
statements to the police and none of
them mentioned my name except the
taxi driver who claims that a large
sum of money was missing in his
taxi, in fact the lady in question
stated that she was not beaten by
anyone and that nobody assaulted
the taxi driver. This is a case of
blackmail, and I have resolved not to
succumb to any blackmail for money.
And to all those that are involved in
this conspiracy to bring me down, I
want to remind you that God
Almighty himself got me to where I
am today in my music career and you
will not succeed in your devilish
efforts to bring me down.”
Discography
Studio album
Omo Baba Olowo (2012)
Singles
Year Title Album
2011
“Back
When” (featuring
Naeto C)
Omo
Baba
Olowo
“Dami Duro”
2012
“Ekuro”
“Overseas” (featuring
Sina Rambo)
“Gbon Gbon”
“All of You”
“Feel
Alright” (featuring Ice
Prince)
2013
“Gobe”
TBA “One of a Kind”
“Skelewu”
2014 “Aye”
Awards and nominations
Davido awards and
nominations
Awards and nominations
Totals
Awards won 12
Nominations 16
Kora Awards
Year Recipient Award Result
2012 Himself
Best
Newcomer
Award
Won
Dynamix All Youth Awards
Year Recipient Award Result
2011
Himself
Promising
Youth
Artiste
Won
“Back
When”
Song of
the Year Won
Channel O Music Video Awards
Year Recipient Award Result
2013 “Gobe”
Most
Gifted
Afro Pop
Video
Nominat
2012 “Dami
Duro”
Most
Gifted
Dance
Video of
the Year
Nominat
Most
Gifted
Newcomer
Video of
the Year
Won
Nigeria Music Video Awards
(NMVA)
Year Recipient Award Result
2013
“All of
You”
Best
Dance
Hall/
Reggae
Video
Nominated
“Gobe”
Best
Pop
Extra
Video
Nominated
2012 “Dami
Duro”
Best
Video
By A
New
Artiste
(Live
Beats
Choice)
Won
4Syte TV Music Video Awards
Year Recipient Award Result
2013 “Gobe” Best
African
Act
Video
Nominated
2012 “Dami
Duro” Nominated
Ghana Music Awards
Year Recipient Award Result
2014
Himself
African
Artiste
Of The
Year
Pending
2013 Nominated
Nigeria Entertainment Awards
Year Recipient Award Re
2013
O.B.O (Omo
Baba Olowo)
Best
Album
of the
Year
Nom
Himself
Best
Pop/
R&B
Artiste
of the
Year
Won
2012
“Dami Duro”
Hottest
Single
of the
Year
Won
Himself
Best
New
Act of
the
Year
Won
“Carolina” (Sauce
Kid featuring
Davido)
Best
Collabo
of the
Year
Won
City People Entertainment Award
Year Recipient Award Result
2013
Himself
Musician
of the
Year
(Male)
Nominated
Best
Hip-Hop
Artiste
of the
Year
Nominated
“Gobe”
Most
Popular
Song of
the Year
Nominated
The Headies
Year Recipient Award Result
2013
Davido
Artiste of
the Year N
Hip Hop
World
Revelation
W
Omo Baba
Olowo
Best R&B/
Pop
Album
W
Album of
the Year N
“Gobe” Best Pop
Single N
2012
Himself Next
Rated W
“Dami Duro” Best Pop
Single N
“Carolina” (Sauce
Kid featuring
Davido)
Best
Collabo N
World Music Awards
Year Recipient Award Result
2014 Himself
World’s
Best Male
Artist
Pending
World’s
Best Live
Act
Pending
World’s
Best
Entertainer
Of The
Year
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