Afrobeats singer David Adeleke, popularly called Davido, has been inducted into the prominent list of TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people.
The US-born Nigerian singer, in an ‘acceptance’ tweet, said, “Proud to be included in the inaugural #TIME100Next list”.
Writing an accompanying excerpt to the news, rapper and winner of the BBNaija ‘Lockdown’ Laycon penned some tributary words.
It read in part, “Davido is one of the biggest voices in Afrobeats because his music connects with people often in ways that transcend his expectations.
“When he released the song ‘FEM’ in 2020, a title that loosely translates to ‘shut up in Yoruba, he didn’t know it would become a major #ENDSARS protest anthem.
“The youths banded together to demand the government to take action and end police brutality in Nigeria last October.
“Officials responded by sending politicians to give speeches. We told the government to keep quiet unless they had something sensible to add to the ethos of ‘FEM’ which was directly relatable at that moment.
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“You can tell Davido puts 100 percent into every song he makes. And the results are clear: his album ‘A Good Time`’ surpassed a billion streams in 2020.
“Afrobeats is a worldwide phenomenon and Davido is one of many Nigerian artists who have made that possible.
“However, more and more artistes, from Nicki Minaj to Young Thug, want to work with him.”
The magazine also listed other Nigerians on the list including FK Abudu, Odun Eweniyi, and Dami Odufuwa.
