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“How Davido pretended to be poor and fooled everyone during his early music career” – Maleek Berry
British-Nigerian singer and record producer Maleek Berry recently shared an intriguing anecdote from his early career, revealing how the now-famous Nigerian music star Davido cleverly masked his wealth during their initial days in the music industry.
On the ’90s Baby’ podcast, Maleek Berry recounted working with Davido when they were both emerging artists. He described their sessions at a studio in Bermondsey, London, where they recorded music together.
Berry reminisced about their time in the studio, highlighting how Davido, despite coming from a wealthy background, seamlessly adapted to the more modest lifestyle of his peers.
This led Berry to mistakenly believe that Davido came from a less privileged family. However, that perception changed dramatically when Berry visited Davido’s father’s mansion.
In his words:
“I was there when Davido only have four thousand YouTube views. When he came to London, I would take him to studio in Bermondsey and record him,” he recalled.
“It was one of his cousins that connected us via social media. He wasn’t even known then. We were just two Nigerian guys that loved music that got connected.
“He acted around us like one of those poor kids. But when I pulled up to his dad’s crib, I was surprised. There’s money and there’s money!
“I was just so taken aback because at the time, my mind didn’t used to move like he [Davido] had money. He used to blend in with us. When I saw the tower, I was like, okay, they’re rich.”
Berry also revealed that Davido was the one who connected him to Wizkid years later.
“Davido had only 4,000 views on YouTube when we met. I thought he was struggling in life like us cos of his passion for success until I visited him in his father’s crib… I was amazed, I realized there is a difference between being Rich and being wealthy”
_ Maleek Berry pic.twitter.com/fsuxGV00qD
— 𝐑𝐨𝐳𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 🇳🇬 (@MissRozapepper) August 26, 2024
Maleek Berry recalls his 2011 trip to Nigeria that changed everything, linking up with Davido, meeting Wizkid through him, recording unreleased songs with Wizkid, and being there when Davido recorded “Dami Duro.
🎥: @90sBabyShow #afrotoday #afrobeats pic.twitter.com/6LSwC7MNcD
— 224Afrobeats (@224Afrobeats) August 20, 2024