I think I should just drop the critic act, and say this, I am a fan of Davolee. Or, I was.
Been a fan since the days when he was still doing stuff with TPops and Crespin. Long before he was signed to Olamide. Well, how the whole Olamide thing happened is still a mystery we don’t wanna unravel.
Because back then, I could swear Olamide was gonn’ sign Obadice or someone else. But, as y’all know, the Lord works in mysterious ways!
Summer was over, that year and the last days were approaching. Then, I woke up one morning to a freestyle video on Olamide’s Facebook page, and a lot of congratulatory messages on my feed from niggas who knew him, like me.
It was breathtaking, how it all went down. And, well, since YBNL was kinda empty, we thought perhaps David was the godsent Messiah that will revive the glory of YBNL.
“Festival Bar”, the storylined freestyle-esque track, was his first offering at YBNL and it was about a story of his time working at a bar in Ikotun. Don’t forget, we loved it.
As expected, after the short period of frenzy, everything went back to normal. Not long after, he was featured on Olamide’s hit “Pepper Dem Gang” where he delivered a fire verse that got people talking about what hip-hop vibe the young nigga got. Time stops, when men make history. But, time never stopped and Davolee couldn’t make history.
When I interviewed him in 2015 (before the deal), and asked him where he sees himself in five years. He mentioned, big places, numerous awards, big hits, shutting down shows and all those amazing stuff artists want. But four years down the line, what’s he got? A record deal that didn’t work out, and two mild hits (“Way”, “Lock Up”), one of which came after he had moved on from the deal with Olamide. No albums, no ‘Next Rated’ nominations, nothing.
But Davolee isn’t just a talented rapper, he’s also been doing this for quite a while and he’s paid some dues. He’s been doing this long enough, he could jump on a track and diss hot guys like M.I Abaga, Blaqbonez, A-Q, Falz, Loose Kaynon and Ycee, without flinching.
“Giveaway” is all shades of the K-Dot energy on “Control”, back in 2013. Not everyone has the guts to get into the booth and release something, calling out big guns. It’s a bold step, to say the least.
There’s this wide conversation going on in the industry now, about the rap scene. With the M.I vs Vector thing going on, there’s always a spot for anyone who wants to join in the game. “Giveaway” now brings back another important conversation about Davolee’s cred, and his lyrical prowess. And the fact that he’s bold enough to do it in Yoruba speaks a volume.
Nonetheless, what will determine if this is a step in the right direction or a misstep is what comes next.
Is Davolee ready to bring back the hip-hop sauce or is there a part of him that wished he was Lil Frosh?