Afrobeats star David Adeleke, famously known as Davido,, opines that he faces more criticism than any other Nigerian celebrity, largely because of his privileged upbringing. According to him, the label of being a “rich kid” could have derailed his music career if he hadn’t initially kept his background hidden from the public eye.
He noted that when he released his first two hit songs, people had no idea that his father, Dr. Deji Adeleke, is a wealthy man. This lack of awareness allowed him to build his music career without the immediate burden of being criticized for his family’s wealth.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Culture Knock Out podcast, Davido discussed how the discovery of his wealthy background came after he had already made significant strides in the music industry. By the time people found out about his father’s wealth, he had already released multiple hit songs, thus shielding him somewhat from the criticism that might have come if his background had been known from the start.
Davido shared his thoughts on the situation, stating: “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.”
He continued, explaining that the timing of his success played a significant role in how the public received his career: “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…”
Davido emphasized his determination to pursue music despite his background, 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.”
He went on to discuss the challenges that come with fame, noting that as one becomes the biggest in their field, criticism becomes inevitable. “Over time, people started hating me because my dad is rich. But I keep on dropping good music, and it keeps working out.”
He added, “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.”
Check out video below …
“People didn’t know my father was rich till…”
– Davido pic.twitter.com/H7xFOCmoiA
— @𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗯𝗼𝘆 (@OneJoblessBoy) May 13, 2025