Davido: "Afrobeats Can't Be Mentioned Without My Name"

Singer reflects on his role in shaping the genre while embracing "Afro-fusion" identity

Nigerian music star David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has emphasized his significant role in the global rise of afrobeats. In an interview featured in the latest issue ofTheBeatJuice magazine, the 'Skelewu' hitmaker declared that his name is inseparable from discussions about the genre.

“Afrobeats can’t be brought up without my name. Impossible,” Davido stated confidently.

While widely recognized alongside Wizkid and Burna Boy as one of the genre’s top artists, Davido has expressed mixed feelings about the afrobeats label. Speaking on a past episode of theBusiness Untitled Podcast, he shared his concerns about the broad categorization of all African artists under the afrobeats umbrella, regardless of their unique styles.

Embracing Afro-fusion

Davido, who prefers to describe his music as "afro-fusion," acknowledged the importance of the afrobeats label in bringing African music to the global stage.

“I don’t get offended when we’ve been categorised as Afrobeats. I mean, we need a genre. It could be R&B or Afropop,” he said, adding, “I call my music Afrofusion but I’m not big on ‘O put Afrofusion on my song.’ I know how long it took for African music to become mainstream.”