Award-winning Afrobeats artist David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed that his affluent background is a major reason he faces intense criticism in the Nigerian music industry.
Speaking during an appearance on the Culture Knock Out podcast, the singer explained that his father’s wealth became a point of controversy only after he had already made a name for himself with several hit tracks.
Davido shared that early in his career, many fans were unaware of his connection to billionaire businessman Dr. Deji Adeleke.
According to him, this lack of awareness initially shielded him from the “rich kid” stigma that could have hindered his success.
“I’m the most criticised artist in Nigeria. I’ve been on fire for a long time,” he said. “At first, no one knew my dad had money. I had already dropped three hits before they found out. If they had known earlier, things might have turned out differently.”
Despite the backlash, Davido said he remained focused on pursuing music, even to the point of being willing to go homeless.
“I didn’t care about anything else. Music was all I wanted to do,” he said.
He added that criticism is inevitable for anyone at the top. “Once you become the biggest in anything, criticism comes with it. People love you when you’re rising, but once you get to the top, they start to hate.”
The singer, however, noted that consistent success and quality music have helped him silence many of his detractors over the years.