Davido
David Adedeji Adeleke, born in Atlanta in 1992 and raised in Lagos, records as Davido and became one of the central figures in Afrobeats' global ascent. Absorbing his father's collection of Nigerian greats alongside the American hip-hop and R&B of his youth, he broke out in the early 2010s with brash singles like 'Dami Duro' before the 2014 love song 'Aye' and the 2017 crossover 'Fall' carried Afropop to international audiences. His melodic, celebratory fusion of Afrobeat, Afropop and R&B became a blueprint for a generation of artists across Africa and Latin America.
Davido grew up on his father's collection of Nigerian greats, and Fela Kuti's Afrobeat — its interlocking percussion, horn-driven grooves and call-and-response vocals — is the deep foundation beneath the Afropop Davido helped popularize.
listen forSit with the churning, polyrhythmic engine of Fela's 'Zombie,' then hear how Davido's 'Aye' keeps that rolling percussive pulse and communal, chanted refrain even as it slims the arrangement down into a pop love song.
Davido has said he grew up listening to American rappers, and the swaggering, hook-first hip-hop of 50 Cent's era shaped the braggadocio and cadence of his early breakout singles as much as any Nigerian source.
listen forPlay 50 Cent's 'In Da Club' before Davido's 'Dami Duro' — both center a taunting, chest-out chant over a stark, bass-heavy beat built to detonate a party.
King Sunny Ade's juju — Yoruba-language dance music built on layered guitars and talking drums — was another staple of the older Nigerian sound Davido absorbed growing up, and its lilting, percussion-forward feel surfaces in his uptempo Yoruba dance tracks.
listen forCue King Sunny Ade's 'Ja Funmi' beside Davido's 'Skelewu' — both are built for movement on layered percussion and a chanted Yoruba hook, favoring an almost hypnotic, dance-driving repetition over conventional verses.