Afrobeats superstar David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, has revealed that he considers himself the most criticized celebrity in Nigeria, attributing much of the backlash to his affluent family background.
The Grammy-nominated artist claimed that the “rich kid” stigma could have negatively impacted his music career if his privileged upbringing had been widely known from the start.
Speaking candidly in a recent episode of the Culture Knock Out podcast, the “OBO” hitmaker explained that he had already established himself with multiple chart-topping songs before the public became fully aware of his family’s wealth.
“I’m the biggest criticized artist in Nigeria. I mean, I’m on fire and I’ve been on fire for a while. In the beginning, they didn’t know that my dad was rich. So the stigma of a rich kid doing music didn’t end up as crazy as it should have been for me,” Davido stated.
He continued, “People didn’t know my father was rich. It was too late, I already did three hit songs before they found out that my dad had money… But I just wanted to do music. I didn’t care if I had to become homeless. At that point, that was all I wanted to do. Nothing would stop me.”
The 32-year-old singer acknowledged that public perception shifted once his family’s wealth became common knowledge, leading to increased criticism. However, he emphasized that his consistent delivery of hit songs has solidified his place in the industry.
“Over time, people started hating me because my dad is rich. But I keep on dropping good music, and it keeps working out,” he said.
Drawing a parallel with broader societal trends, Davido added, “It happens to everyone, once you become the biggest in anything, you will get criticized. You are doing an election, people love you and they vote for you. But when you become president, they hate you.”
Davido, whose father is billionaire businessman Adedeji Adeleke, has remained one of Africa’s most successful musicians despite the criticisms, with multiple international awards and collaborations with global stars.