he streets have been buzzing with suggestions of a cold war between two
music raves, Davido and Wizkid. Though both have denied such, those
close to them insist that there is a less than healthy rivalry between
the youngsters.
In music, rivalries go with the territory. While many believe such
rivalries are usually provoked by fans, others believe they are invented
by the media.
We learnt that the one between the two singers is taking the shape of a
full-blown animosity and its feared it could snowball into something
unseemly
For two years, Wizkid has really dominated the scene,
headlining major concerts and scooping a phalanx of awards at home and
abroad. But the arrival of Davido on the scene early this year seems to
have chipped away Wizkid’s popularity.
“The two are practically targeting the same audience,” said an industry player.
Prior
to Davido’s emergence, he and Wizkid were unknown to each other. But
that soon changed, as Davido also became a household name. They both met
and became friends–until sometime in May, when the relationship became
strained as a result of the personality clash between top cats, D’Banj
and Don Jazzy. Davido queued behind D’Banj, while Wizkid elected to
fight Don Jazzy’s corner in the Mo’Hits civil war.
Though the
rumour of Davido signing to D’Banj’s DB Records turned out to be
unfounded, this obviously riled Don Jazzy team that includes Wande Coal
and Wizkid (a member of Empire Mates Entertainment co-owned by Banky W
but close to Don Jazzy).
Another source also attributed the
breakdown in the relationship between Davido and Wizkid to a nightclub
incident. According to him, Davido forced Wizkid to pick up the tabs
after a night out at a popular nightclub in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Wizkid, who was invited by Davido, was said to have brought some friends
over. Davido ordered drinks, which were naturally pricey. But while the
bingeing was going on, Davido allegedly slipped away, leaving Wizkid
with the task of paying the bill racked up. This was estimated to be
between N200, 000 and N300,000.
In September, another twist was
introduced, when Davido and his HKN label crew were reported to have
walked out of the Nigerian Entertainment Awards show in New York while
Wizkid was performing. US-based Nigerian comedian, Foxy P, who was at
the show, gave a vivid account of what happened via his Africa Today
Show. “Davido and his HKN crew, including Sina Rambo and B-Red came very
late to the event and instead of waiting for a lull they just bounded
all the way down the steps to the front row where EME stars Banky W,
Skales, e.t.c were sitting. They were relatively calm till towards the
EME performance that started with XO Senevoe, Rotimi, Skales then Banky
and Wizkid. At the time Wizkid came up, Davido just got up with his
whole crew and they all walked out.
“It wasn’t like they were
rushing anywhere because everyone was eventually going to the after
party so there was no hurry. I came out after he did and noticed that
the entire HKN crew was just standing outside the auditorium doing
nothing. It was clear to see they came out because they couldn’t stand
to watch Wizkid perform,” Foxy P wrote. After the show, a picture of the
two stars standing together surfaced online.
Both singers made
hugely successful recording debuts. Wizkid struck gold with Superstar;
Davido did same with Omo Baba Olowo. They followed it with sold-out
album launch concerts at Eko Hotel And Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The two have equally attracted top-notch endorsements from corporate
companies. While Davido was made the face of MTN Pulse, Wizkid, was
chosen by Pepsi Cola to join the list of its ambassadors, alongside Tiwa
Savage.
As both are becoming increasingly popular in Africa and
beyond, they have come to the attention of international stars, who seek
them for collaborative efforts. Some months ago, Senegalese-American
music star, Akon, was in his studio in the US to record some songs with
Wizkid and even signed the latter onto his Konvict Records. While that
song is still enjoying rotation both in Africa and America, Akon also
dragged Davido to same studio to record the Dami Duro remix.
All
through 2011, Wizkid was the rave and this earned him the prestigious
The Headies’ Next Rated award with Hyundai Sedan as a perk. But for
2012, Davido took over from Wizkid, as he was adjudged 2012 Next Rated.
As
Wizkid’s mantelpiece is being filled with more continental prizes,
including MOBO and BET Awards, last weekend, Davido also picked his
first international award as he emerged the Most Gifted Newcomer at the
recently held Channel O Music Video Awards.
With these
developments, many are worried that the rivalry has the potential to
recreate the 2Pac/Notorious BIG feud that fascinated America in 90s.
Domestically, rappers Ruggedman and Eedris Abdulkareem as well as
Vector and Reminisce have had well publicised feuds. They were not
pretty occurences.
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