Inside the unending rivalry between Wizkid, Davido

Despite their recent public display of affection late December last year, it will seem as though the long-standing feud between two of Nigeria’s biggest superstars Wizkid and Davido is never coming to an end. In a recent turn of events, the artists were seen throwing heavy jabs at each other on social media. Daily Trust Saturday reports

The Nigerian music industry has grown rapidly in the past decade, establishing itself as a major player in the international music scene. Central to this rise are two major artists, Wizkid and Davido, whose careers have been defined not just by their hit songs and record-breaking albums, but also by a long-standing feud that has both intrigued and divided fans.

The latest episode of the drama began with a diss video that Wizkid posted, seemingly aiming at Davido in a sneaky way.

A Wizkid fan had asked the artist when he would be dropping new songs, to which Wizkid replied with a viral video of Davido on his knees, sobbing and pleading, asking the fan to replicate the act in the video.

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The post generated a social media firestorm and created an outburst from the 30 Billion gang and Wizkid FC. However, Davido felt offended and fired back at Wizkid on Monday night.

In a series of post, Davido declared that Wizkid’s songs were no longer acknowledged, stating that “his career was dead”. He declared with pride that Wizkid and other people had not known peace of mind since he got into the music industry.

“That’s what I thought. Nothing to say, exactly why I stopped wasting my clout and jeopardising my millions of USD of endorsements on someone whose career was resurrected a few years ago just to die again,” Davido said.

The artist went on to say, “I have hits; he doesn’t. Tell him to let’s drop it. Darkness vanishes, and they give birth to him. Very well, he should drop. I’m ready. I’ve got 80 hits ready to go. Ayo, please activate me. He didn’t fit, solo short.”

“It’s so funny how the whole industry is scared of a 4-foot guy like him. I’m short too, but if you see him in person, you’ll just giggle.”

Nonetheless, Wizkid didn’t hesitate to reply the ‘Unavailable’ artist, calling him delusional and stating that he wasn’t afraid of him and his crew.

“There’s no point. Delusional guys, I’ll pray for you all. You (Davido) and all your crew, plus your pant washer songwriter, sleep at night thinking you’ve got anything on me in music. I wish you all well,” Wizkid tweeted.

The Origin

The Wizkid-Davido dispute dates back to the early 2010s, when both musicians were rising as prominent figures in the Afrobeat scene. Wizkid rose to popularity with his debut album ‘Superstar’ in 2011, while Davido achieved success with his breakthrough track ‘Dami Duro’ the same year.

Despite their shared journey to stardom, the musicians’ differing styles and backgrounds fuelled their rivalry. Wizkid was seen as the more relaxed, multicultural performer with a smooth, melodic sound, while Davido was renowned for his hyperactive shows and pop-centric approach.

The feud became more apparent in 2017 when the two artists took to social media to exchange veiled insults and taunts. What seemed to be a series of playful banters soon escalated into a public rivalry with fans taking sides and further fuelling the tension. The conflict extended to the stage, with the artists allegedly clashing at various events and awards shows.

One of the significant moments that established their rivalry took place at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards, where both musicians were nominated for Best African Act. When Davido won the award, Wizkid’s social media reaction was interpreted as resentful, implying that he did not consider the award to be meaningful. This sparked a back-and-forth conversation, with Davido questioning Wizkid’s sincerity and claims that Davido’s songs lacked creativity.

The same year, their crews got into a physical altercation at the One Africa Music Fest in Dubai, leading to headlines and further fuelling the narrative of their rivalry.

Despite the apparent hostility, there have been moments of reconciliation. In 2018, the two artists shared the stage at a concert, with Wizkid invited Davido to join him for a performance and Davido returned the gesture at his own headlined concert. This sparked hope among fans that the feud was over. However, subsequent events have indicated otherwise.