Davido fundraiser: Timely reminder for P-Square on the state of the industry
The reunion of Rudeboy and Mr P has left fans reminiscing the old days but how the previously defunct duo will fare remains to be seen, while CKay seeks another miracle single.
Wheeww!
What an eventful week it’s been in the world of showbiz!
From our community crossing the 60-subscriber mark (yaaay!!!) to P-Square reuniting after almost a half-decade feud, things really happened.
Even when things got so busy that I couldn’t finish the draft for last week, I was left emotional – perhaps more emotional than Davido looking at his Wema account balance right now – when AfroDivers reached out hoping that it wasn’t sapa that hit their favourite newsletter.
Heartwarming, community. Let’s keep it going and growing.
100 subscribers before the year runs out, right? Yes, let’s do it!
Has Davido hit 200 million naira already? If he hasn’t when you’re reading this, it’s only a matter of time before he does. His birthday has been the talk of the week and his novel idea of demanding a minimum of N1 million from friends, associates and every entity he’s had contact with has made social media agog. I mean, he’s not only taken showbiz to unexpected heights but also given fundraising a whole new strategy.
His unprecedented send-my-birthday-gift move has created a bandwagon effect, with a number of celebrities trying to follow his path. Coincidentally, P-Square’s 40th birthday and epic reunion after over four years of feud and estrangement also happened.
In an interesting turn of things, P-Square decided to do copycat and launch their own birthday babianla. It was met with reprimand from a majority of social media users and their attempt to “let’s-show-Davido-that-two-heads-are-better-than-one” was dead on arrival.
More importantly, the act is a foreshadowing into their line of action in the coming weeks – which will be an attempt to return to their unstoppable old selves. After a huge hiatus from the music scene as a duo, it would not be straightforward.
The music industry as they knew it has evolved and continues to evolve. Long-standing Afrobeats generals such as Olamide, Wizkid, Davido and Tiwa Savage are the embodiment of staying atop and ahead. The recent struggles of 2Baba, D’banj should teach one or two lessons.
Their legend status is already cemented. But as they found out individually, the music industry of today, e no easy eh. Rudeboy had a relatively more successful solo run, with hit songs like Reason with me and Audio money while Mr P found traction harder to get with his own efforts.
From 2001 when they broke onto the scene till 2015 which marked the peak for their last album together, Double Trouble, that’s a whopping 14 years of relevance, indicating their staying power in an ever-dynamic industry.
They thrived across at least three phases of the industry. Although two revolutions have happened since 2015, you wouldn’t put it past them to rediscover their mojo. If they did it before, they can do it again. But time has really passed, and they may soon discover, if they haven’t already, that they are not on the same footing with the likes of Davido.
Can CKay top TikTok success?
Another artiste who will be looking forward to what the future holds is CKay. The singer, born Chukwuka Ekweani, has written his name in history books with his 2019 single, Love nwatiti. Billboard Hot 100 ✅; 100 million YouTube views, checked✅✅; 15 billion streams on TikTok ✅✅✅.
It is easily the most successful Afrobeats single (ever), given the digital age we’re in which makes it easy to track numbers. But to build on such a behemoth success will certainly prove a tall order.
No artiste would probably envy P-Square and CKay at this time. They have previous successes to point to but going forward will require something hooge.
For now, though, the fans of both parties are enjoying the moment, carpe diem in Latin, right Olamide?
I love what I just read.❤ May you never get tired of writing. Amen.😌
Lesson learned from the two brothers. Feud shouldn't last too long as time awaits no man.