Five Take-Aways From Davido’s Breakfast Club Interview
1st endorsement at 17, Schooling in the village, 50 policemen sent by his dad to capture him & more
Just yesterday, Davido was on American syndicated radio show, The Breakfast club to talk about his upbringing with his dad and his Afrobeat success with celebrated hosts, DJ Envy and Charlemagne tha God. Davido gave interesting insights into his life, which you may not have known before. He was both earnest and entertaining. Below are some major highlights from the interview to take away:
Davido initially made “Back When” for Mpizzle:
Way back between 2008-2010, Davido made Demo tracks as a producer and gave them to artists. While his cousin, Mpizzle was still an upcoming artist, he produced a Demo track for him, but Mpizzle didn’t record it for some reason. At this point, Davido was just like “Fuck it I’m just gonna drop it, put some rapper on it and it got big”. “Back When” featuring Naeto C, became Davido’s first single and a major hit in 2011.
Davido was on the run from his dad and 50 policemen:
All hell broke loose when Davido’s billionaire dad found out he had dropped out of school from his University in America, and returned to Nigeria without his consent. After releasing “Back When”, Davido started doing club gigs in Nigeria and one day, 50 policemen sent by his dad arrested his ex, his road manager and the promoter of the show, in a bid to get Davido. He was also threatened, as he recalled a phone conversation with his dad; “If you do not come to the police station, all your friends are going to Jail”. Not long after the commotion, Davido dropped “Dami Duro” where he shouted out to his Dad. —“E ma Dami Duro Emi Omo Baba lowo, Don’t stop me, I’m the son of a rich man”. From that point on, he started to get more recognition from even his dad’s billionaire friends, such that his dad eventually had to accept the career path he had chosen.
He went to a school in the village —“Babcock”:
Seeing Davido’s dogged determination, his dad finally decided to meet him halfway, promising to fund two video shoots if Davido would agree to return to school in Nigeria. They settled on Babcock University, a school he fondly recalls being located “in the village”. The deal was to go to school on weekdays and do music away from school on the weekends. This is presumably how we got to see Davido in his videos for “Back When” and “Dami Duro”, and may be the backstory for the famous studio he flaunts on his Snapchat.
First endorsement at 17:
Davido landed his very first endorsement deal with a telephone company in Nigeria at the young age of 17 for about $100,000.
Son of Haiti’s ex-president sang Davido’s song word-for-word:
Speaking about the international reach of his song, Davido explains how surprised he was to find that Olivier Martelly, Haitian-American Singer and ex-president Michel Martelly’s son, knew his song “Word-for-word”, while he was in Haiti for the First Time Press Conference on February 2nd, 2018.
Take a look at Davido’s interview with DJ Envy and Charlamagne the God below.
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ICYMI, NATIVE 002: Davido took on the world in 2017. He won. Now, he’s up against his biggest challenge yet: Himself.
Asake Links With Tiakola On Gritty “BADMAN GANSTA”
Another step towards ‘Money,’ his fourth
Street-pop star, Asake, has released a surprise new single titled “BADMAN GANSTA.” Produced by super producer, P.Priime, the single, Asake’s second of the year, arrives with a crisp black and white feature and a stellar guest verse from French rapper and singer Tiakola.
The singer posted the full music video–a monochromatic montage of dazzling shots and scenes of his opulent lifestyle–across his different social media handles on Thursday evening, July 24, with a caption that read, ‘The World Of Money.’
Earlier in June, the ex-YBNL star announced a new album titled ‘Money.’ A few months before that, he released a loosie titled “Military” and then “WHY LOVE,” his first official single under his new imprint Giran Republic. “Military” served as a bookend to the first arc of his impressive career as much as an announcement of a new era, while “WHY LOVE” officially kicked off season two.
Following the release of “WHY LOVE,” Asake has also featured on songs like Olamide’s “99,” J Hus’ “Gold”, and Young Jonn’s “Che Che,” delivering standout verses that favour a melodious, laid-back approach as opposed to the spirited, fast-paced style that earned him success early on. “BADMAN GANSTA” also excels with this approach, as Asake’s melodious musings about his current lifestyle dovetail nicely with Tiakola’s equally sturdy verse over a plush beat that samples Amerie’s 2005 classic “1 Thing.”
With Asake releasing three albums in as many years, it’s not unreasonable to assume ‘Money’ might arrive before the end of the year. There’s also the possibility that he might be willing to take his time a little more now, seeing as he his under his imprint now.
Whatever the case may be, ‘Money’ is likely to arrive sooner rather than later, and it will be fascinating to see what other aces Asake has up his sleeves.
Listen to “BADMAN GANSTA” here.
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Ayra Starr Releases Her Sizzling Anthem, “Hot Body”
An 11th-hour summer anthem for the
Ayra Starr has released her highly anticipated single “Hot Body.”
The Mavin popstar has been teasing the new single for a few weeks now, posting multiple promotional videos across social media that built up significant excitement for her third official release of the year. The release of “Hot Body” comes on the heels of recent reports that confirmed the Grammy-nominated singer had officially joined Roc Nation’s roster, the American music label, entertainment, and sports services company founded by rapper and business mogul JAY-Z.
Earlier in February, Ayra Starr shared “All The Love,” a sumptuous Afropop ballad produced by labelmate Johnny Drille and Teemode, before releasing the sleek and sensual Wizkid-assisted “Gimmie Dat” about months later. In that time period, the singer picked up two awards at the 2025 MOBO Awards for Best African Music Act and Best International Act before also clinching her first BET award for Best International Act in June.
It was recently announced that the pop singer would be joining Coldplay on the UK leg of their Music Of The Spheres World Tour between August to September, and her impressive year continues with the release of “Hot Body.” Once again, teaming up with close collaborator Ragee and UK production duo The Elements, Ayra Starr manages to deliver a sweetly erotic summer jam that’s sure to elicit plenty lip-biting, hip gyrating, and flirty winks. “Look what a hot body can do,” she sings repeatedly, almost like an enchantress performing a magic trick.
With her current deal with Mavin and Universal Music still running and the recent confirmation of her management deal with Roc Nation, it’s safe to assume that “Hot Body” might garner significant momentum both at home and abroad. Outside of her music, the singer recently wrapped up the shooting of the film adaptation of Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone which is reportedly set for release in early 2027.
Listen to “Hot Body” here.
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Zulo Details His Evolution On New ‘Z’ EP
Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a...
ZULO is no stranger to reinvention. Formerly known as Lil Trix, the rapper rose through the ranks with a series of gritty mixtapes that chronicled his upbringing, thrills, and connection to the community. Since his rebrand, he’s steadily grown into a renowned voice in South African Hip-Hop, regarded for his storytelling, cultural homage, and genre fusion.
Three years after the release of ‘Talk To Me Naace,’ his reintroduction to the scene, ZULO has returned with ‘Z,’ a three-track EP that shows a glimpse of his evolution as an artist and human. Packed with his reflections on faith, love, and cultural pride, ‘Z’ distills ZULO’s thoughts into a refined sound that’s bold, emotional, and distinctly South African.
The three-tracker opens with “God’s Armour,” a gospel-inflected protest anthem layered with brass and trap drums. It is followed by “Sweeter Success,” an infectious Afropop-inspired groove built around a nostalgic sample of UPZ’s iconic “Pure Surprise”. Beneath its shine lies a darker message: the emotional cost of ambition, the toll of always pushing for more. ZULO produced the track himself, with additional production from Miglow and SpiceDrums.
‘Z’ closes with “Spaan”, a gritty street anthem that samples Kamazu and confronts addiction, poverty, and the lingering scars of apartheid through the lens of coloured identity. “These songs are battle cries and war journals,” ZULO says. “‘Z’ is everything I’ve fought through to stand where I am. The EP follows a strong run of 2024 singles, including “Adawise,” “JOL,” “Garden,” and “Smaak To Love (Lamza).”
Listen to ‘Z’ here.
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