and even the artistes in question tried avoiding it,
but it seemed inevitable from the very beginning – a once buoyant relationship between Ayo ' Wizkid ' Balogun and David ' Davido ' Adeleke has finally hit
the rocks.
The young pop stars are currently at loggerheads, and NET can exclusively tell you that the vibrant
'Wizzy' and 'Omo baba olowo'are no longer on
speaking terms.
Both artistes' camps have taken sides and are on
the verge of calling out names; the tension
between both artistes keeps threatening the air of
peace left.
Recently Davido and his HKN label crew were
reported to have walked out of the NEA Awards
show while Wizkid was performing.Fans are already
asking questions, the most popular one being
'what started it all?'
The dispute between Wizkid and Davido might
seem sudden to the general public, but it dates
back longer than we think. The cause? You'll have
to thank two very important men in the Nigerian
music industry – D'banj and Don Jazzy .
FIRST BLOOD
It all started with the news of D'banj signing
Davido to his DB Records back in May 2012 – the
news turned out to be false, but this obviously
didn't go down well with the 'other camp.'
' You see Davido was very close to Don Jazzy and
the Mo'hits squad before they parted with D'banj.
When Jazzy heard Davido signed with D'banj, he
wasn't entirely happy ', a close friend of both
camps tells NET.
SECOND ROUND'S ON ME
Don Jazzy is said to have immediately told Wande
Coal (who mentors both Wizkid and Davido) to stop
visiting Davido at his Lekki home.
Davido, at the time, was still recording his debut
album and had plans to collaborate with Wande
and Wizzy on separate songs. When Davido
contacted Wande Coal, the pop singer's
management asked for an exorbitant fee
(reportedly N1.5m) for the collabo. Sources say
Davido was keen to get it done, but his manager
Asa Asika was having none of it. This 'sudden
policy' led to a war of words between Asika and
Wande's manager Nana . The collabo never
happened. Wande and Davido stopped talking and
calling each other.
STRIKE THREE
Davido moved on to record the much talked about
duet with Wizkid. But when he sent the
instrumental to the EME team, Wizkid, sources say,
told them he couldn't work with Davido on the
song, saying the beat wasn't up to standard and he
didn't want to lower his brand. Little did Davido
know that it was his fight with Wande that made
him (Wizkid) immediately take sides.
' Wande is like Wizkid's elder brother. Wizzy looks
up to him a lot and anything Wande says, Wizkid
will do. When Wande told him about what
happened between him and Davido, he just took
sides with him straight ', says our inside source.
Davido, losing on both ends, scrapped both songs
and even though it was a huge blow, he didn't let it
get him down. The disappointment is said to have
inspired the first track on his album ' All of you .'
Davido, well known for his boisterous attitude, laid
it all out on the song, claiming to be better than
'everyone', referencing artistes such as 2face,
Psquare and D'banj as his mentors, conspicuously
leaving out the MAVIN and EME crew. The MAVINS
seemingly responded by not attending Davido's
album launch held at the Eko Hotel and Suites
'Davido doesn't send Don Jazzy or them Banky W
again, that's what inspired that song, he believes
they aren't better than him and to an extent he
does prove it' said our source.
AS IT STANDS
After the Don Jazzy-D'banj split, crew members
decamped and spoils were taken. While Don Jazzy
took with him pop singers Wande Coal, Dr SID , and
rapper D'Prince , and launched his MAVIN Records
label with a surprise signing Tiwa Savage , D'banj
went the other way with his younger brother Kay
Switch . Other familiar friends like Naeto C,
Ikechukwu , Davido, the HKN Gang and Mo'Hits
hype man Special Ed readily affiliates themselves
with D'banj.
SHOW AND PROVE
Music pundits are already weighing in on what a
Wizkid-Davido fight would look like, so NET decided
to do a short review of both acts.
Davido might look like the rookie with just 21
months in the game, but with the release of his
debut album ' Omo Baba Olowo: The Genesis ,'
both artistes are on the same level as regards the
number of albums released ( Wizkid released his
debut Superstar in 2011)
Wizkid had a grand album launch at the Eko Hotel
and Suites in 2011, with high profile guests
including the First Lady of Lagos State Abimbola
Fashola , Davido held his album launch at the same
venue , also attended by notable personalities,
including billionaire Aliko Dangote .
Both artistes have financial backing – Wizkid has
spent the last year performing at multiple shows,
earning cool millions. Davido,not long after the
release of his monster single ' Dami duro ' started
earning big cash, performing in shows as far as
Malaysia. We won't even mention his billionaire
dad's backing .
' Davido is throwing all the money into his music;
he shot four videos before the release of his album
and has shot another two. He plans to even shoot
more ' a friend adds.
International recognition and collaborations?
Wizkid easily leads in that area, having recorded
with Akon, with unreleased material with rappers
Wale , Young Jeezy and Kardinal Offishal . But it's
only a matter of time before Davido jumps on the
train, starting with a rumoured remix of his ' Ekuro
' single withAkon.
Davido equally matches Wizkid's artistic versatility
with sheer energy and an ear for contemporary
sound. For every song Wizzyswitches his flow from
Fuji to R&B to Patois, Davido releases 'today's
music', easily turning his songs into chart toppers.
Talented duo!
Both artistes have solid backing from their labels.
In 2012, Banky W finally moulded the EME crew
into a powerful unit, with extra signings Niyola,
Shaydee and affiliates Rotimi and X.O Senavoe.
Davido has kept the business within the family –
signing his cousins Sinarambo, B.Red, former
Mo'Hits affiliate producer Shizzi (Dami duro) and DJ
Snatch.
WHAT ARE THE FANS SAYING?
Fans are closely watching who will call the other
out first, but are already baring their minds, with Wizkid receiving major support. But, some say it might not matter at all.
'These fans supporting Wizkid, would they stop dancing to Davido's music in the clubs? Not possible, ' a mutual friend says.
We wish the Superstar and Omo baba olowo all the best…
Culled from www.thenetng.com
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN
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