Afrobeats superstar, David Adeleke, better known as Davido, has shared his thoughts on being the most criticized celebrity in Nigeria, attributing it to his wealthy background.
Davido revealed that the stigma of being a “rich kid” could have had a negative impact on his career had he not concealed his family background early on.
In a recent appearance on the Culture Knock Out podcast, the singer discussed how his rise to fame began before the public learned of his father’s wealth.
“I’m the biggest criticised 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 went on to explain, “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…”
The singer emphasized his dedication to music, stating, “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.”
As time passed, Davido noted that the public’s criticism grew, largely due to his father’s wealth.
“Over time, people started hating me because my dad is rich. But I keep on dropping good music, and it keeps working out.”
He further reflected on the nature of success and criticism, saying, “It happens to everyone, once you become the biggest in anything, you will get criticised. You are doing an election, people love you and they vote for you. But when you become president, they hate you.”