When Wizkid announced the release of his fifth studio album last year, no one would have ever thought that he will have any music dealings with his long-time rival and contemporary Davido.
Though these guys seemed to have supposedly settled their differences in the early quarter of 2022, there was still tension in both camps, online banter among their stans, cryptic messages, radio silence and more.
But tragedy struck the household of Davido in the last quarter of 2022, and this left everyone, including Wizkid devastated by the death of Davido’s young son Ifeanyi. It was so bad that Wizkid had to push the release of his album by a week in solidarity. A move many commended and some criticized but nonetheless was the wise thing to do in such a situation.
However, no one saw this move by Wizkid coming as he on the 18th of January 2023, announced that he and Davido would embark on a joint tour after his MLLE tour this year while urging his fans to save their coins.
As expected, this received reactions from all corners of the industry, those who supported the idea (as they were overdue for a collaboration), those who did not believe it (as Wizkid is known for his belatedness with his promises on music) those who were uncomfortable with the idea and those who felt Wizkid was using Davido to revive his perceived dying career.
Among such critics was Mr Jollof, an influencer, who believed that Wizkid had no sincerity of purpose in this dig with Davido his long-time rival in the Nigerian music industry.
"Wizkid, I think you have lost it…It seems like you are perching on Davido's wing to fly"
— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) January 19, 2023
– Mr. Jollof pic.twitter.com/GicOwMLLqF
Mr Jollof, for his part, established that Wizkid choosing to go on a tour with Davido now was wrong, as the time was not right and Wizkid had not always been on speaking terms with Davido in the past. This coming now to him seemed fishy.
Wizkid may have not taken this well, as he responded with a message he addressed to ‘kids’ which many felt was addressed to Mr Jollof. This kind of escalated the whole issue, as Jollof throw more shots at Wizkid with Wiz countering with a smackdown about ladies having a house boy for a man.
Things got ugly as both parties were not relenting in their claims but finally, Mr Jollof apologized to Wizkid and urged that the tour with Davido should be made free for their fans who may be unable to afford it.
"Wizkid, you dey derail..
— 🐬 @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) January 19, 2023
..you and Davido should make your tour free"
– Mr. Jollof pic.twitter.com/sha9klryhr
We have to in all honesty, appreciate the rivalry between Wizkid and Davido in the industry, undoubtedly their rivalry has been a huge contributing factor to the rise of Afrobeats globally, it facilitated competition among acts in the industry and propelled greatness which is the desire of any given sector. If you are puzzled by this ask Messi and Ronaldo how their rivalry led to more than a decade of quality football and battle for the true G.O.A.T (Greatest of all time) between them. The world of football will never be the same again.
These guys (Big Wiz and OBO) have unequivocally documented the music generation of the 2010s to a fault that many aficionados regard as the golden age of Nigerian hip-hop and the peak of Afropop sound. Thanks to them the ‘Renaissance of Afrobeats’ to the world was piloted safely to the glory we all celebrate today.
So, Wizkid and Davido have enjoyed this bliss of rivalry, won numerous awards, shut down arenas, achieved streaming wonders, worked with some of the biggest stars in music and have engrained their names in the sands of time for the love of music.
If they feel it is time to truly bury the hatchet, then it is time, as it is better late than never. As I have stated in my previous article, humans are naturally very competitive and always seek to outdo each other in any given situation. It has in a way contributed to the survival and evolution of the human race.
But there comes a time when you draw the line, make a point and take a stand. I guess that time is now and we really need ‘More Love Less Ego’ in Nigeria now than we can ever imagine.