How Davido is overtaking Wizkid one stage at a time

n the beginning, everyone – absolutely everyone – loved Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known by his stage name, Wizkid.

What was there not to love? From the moment he rubbed on our consciousness as Banky W’s sidekick, we were immediately pulled to his boyish charm.

By the time he released “Holla at Your Boy” in 2010 from his debut studio album, Superstar, Wizkid was a firm household favourite.

Over the years, the sweet-faced teenager became a genuine world-class performer, selling out the biggest stages in Africa, UK, USA and beyond.

His fame has come with the regular desserts: money, controversies, baby mamas, etc.

Enter Davido, born David Adeleke.

In 2011, his smash single Dami Duro took over the airwaves. Before then, he tried to penetrate the Nigerian audience with Back When, which featured the immensely popular Naeto C. Industry gossip claims he paid N1million for the feature.

But even from the beginning, Davido was destined to be his own man. Not one to glean relevance from collaborations and a sprinkle of star dust from seasoned names.

From the get-go, Omo Baba Olowo (OBO), always seemed to do more, in order to receive attention and accolades.

Everyone had an opinion that Davido was breaking into the music industry, backed by his father’s billions.

And that is the myth he has set about putting to dust ever since.

Last year, many thought leaders in the music sector, made it clear that maybe apart from Olamide, Davido was easily the most hardworking artiste in the country. He recorded a flurry of songs, featured in others and hopped on private jets for tours around the world in between.

The other day, Davido performed in a tiny South American nation of Suriname.

Of course, nobody ever heard about Suriname. Not the inhabitants. They went hysterical as soon as Davido bounced out on stage, chanting his hit songs word for word like a catholic prayer. Even he was overwhelmed by how far his sound had travelled.

There was that time when both superstars rivalry spilled over. There were the subs on social media, the clash of camps at events and the good old snobbery.

But by that time, it was not a wannabe against an established force. It was a proper tug of war between two heavyweights. Each side had its fair share of supporters, although the bigwigs were reluctant to pitch tents.

““I hate it when people try to make it seem like you have to choose one or the other.

“There is enough room in the sky for all our stars to fly, instead of us encouraging a childish, petty narrative that never ends well. We should encourage all our acts to be all they can be,” Banky W said at the time.

Last December, Wizkid and Davido put their tempestuous relationship behind them, showing up to support the other at their respective concerts.

But a lot of people are still not convinced that both of them are genuinely cool with each other. There are even whispers that Pepsi – who both are brand ambassadors for – is forcing this closeness. It gives a sense that it is all a fragile thing, or why is there not a collabo ever since they hugged and kissed?

It could yet fall apart in the coming weeks or months, but stars would go on doing what they do best. However, you get a feeling that Davido has caught up with Wizkid. And might yet overtake him.