Why Davido isn’t getting Grammy nods

Following the recent Recording Academy award shortlist, Davido now finds himself well behind his gong-winning peers, giving critics a stick to beat him with.

For the second week in a row, we’ll be discussing Davido. It’s not because AfroDives should be part of the NGOs to get money from his N250 million (trust me, every subscriber will get a share if that happens), but for what has been the talk of the week. Yes, you guessed right – The Grammys.

The announcement of the shortlist for the 2022 Grammy awards was made on Tuesday and immediately fans of the shortlisted Nigerian superstars took to social media to boast why their favourite is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).

Wizkid got two nominations, while Burna, Tems, Made Kuti and Femi Kuti all got one each. The traction and trajectory of Made in Lagos had made its Grammy recognition inevitable. Tems has become a star in her own right, using the springboard of Essence to break into the international scene. Made and Seun Kuti continue the legacy of their Afrobeat ancestor while Burna Boy’s nomination confirms the narrative we already know – Angelique Kidjo has the Grammy cheat code.

In fact, I only need the legendary Beninoise singer to feature me on her album, I become a Grammy nominee, easily, even a winner.

While Wizkid and Burna Boy’s fans had a lot to rejoice about, the silence of the 30BG gang (Davido’s fans, in case you’re not familiar with the term) was deafening. Many of them wished OBO would trend for the second straight week but till now, he remains without any Grammy nomination – something his fans would wish to change in order to enhance their bragging rights.

Davido belongs to the class of musicians whose fans have made the Grammy gong a benchmark of success. So, if the Recording Academy has never mentioned your name, you’ll be flogged for it on Twitter streets.

So, why has Grammy limelight been elusive for the US-born artiste?

First, Davido sings for his Nigerian fanbase, and Africa by extension, with not much focus on the international audience (see my review of A Better Time). The only way Davido tries to penetrate the American market, which is a major Grammy index, is by collaboration. Wizkid got his first nominations for Grammy through collaborations but he was the featured artiste. Davido is usually the other way round.

Unlike Davido, Wizkid knows he has conquered the African scape, so he can afford to concentrate on sounds of the other side. I wrote for YNaija that Made in Lagos album spoke to a foreign audience, as Wizkid used the springboard of Afrobeats to adapt to foreign influences.

While Davido’s streaming numbers can stand with the Grammy winners, his album, however, does not have the narrative that Burna and Big Wiz’s have. Burna’s Twice as Tall was crafted on the idea of Pan-Africanism (the well-told narrative of White oppression), with the sound and strategy strings pulled by P Diddy. For Wizkid, just like Burna posited, it was the big bad b*tches.

Davido’s collections do not have this definitive identity. I believe Holy Ground track should have hit harder but Nicki Minaj is not a Grammy favourite with 10 nominations and zero wins. The likes of Beyonce, Drake and Mama Kidjo, however, are.

Even the artiste himself has said that he does not care much about awards. He stated that his focus is on making and enjoying music, which may explain an apparent lack of strategy.

The Grammy stick is only going to get longer and thicker for David Adeleke’s art and his FC will hope that their celebrity philanthropist adjusts not only his attitude but also his sound and strategy.

For now though, the trolls will continue.