A social media conversation about family wealth and the struggles of Nigerian musicians has turned into a heated exchange between Afrobeats superstar Davido and rapper Erigga.
What started as a post celebrating artists who built their careers without financial backing from wealthy families quickly escalated after Davido, who comes from a prominent and financially comfortable background, challenged the point being made by Erigga.
The conversation began on X on Wednesday when Erigga highlighted musicians who had to work their way up without the advantage of family money. His post focused on the effort required to earn a living and build a career from scratch.
Davido soon joined the conversation, taking issue with the way the message appeared to separate musicians based on their family backgrounds.
The singer argued that coming from a wealthy family does not automatically take away from an artist’s hard work. He maintained that musicians who grew up with financial privilege can still put in the necessary work, face setbacks, and make sacrifices before reaching the top of the industry.
Davido’s response quickly attracted attention online, with social media users split over the argument. While some felt Erigga was simply acknowledging the unique struggles faced by artists from less privileged backgrounds, others agreed with Davido that family wealth should not be used to dismiss an artist’s accomplishments.
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Davido hints at leaving music.
The exchange took another turn when Davido suggested that he could eventually walk away from music and focus more heavily on his financial ambitions and other ventures.
The comment added another layer to the conversation, particularly given the singer’s long-standing reputation for combining his music career with business interests and other investments.
Davido also questioned the idea of celebrating poverty or financial struggle, pushing the conversation beyond the music industry and into a wider debate about how society views wealth and success.
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Social media reacts
As expected, the disagreement quickly became a talking point across X, with fans and observers taking sides.
Supporters of Erigga argued that his original message was not necessarily an attack on wealthy artists but rather recognition for musicians who had to overcome financial limitations while pursuing their dreams.
Davido’s supporters, meanwhile, maintained that an artiste’s privileged upbringing should not automatically invalidate the work that goes into building and maintaining a successful career.
The disagreement has consequently revived a familiar conversation within Nigerian entertainment: Does coming from money reduce the value of an artiste’s success, or can privilege and hard work exist side by side?
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Erigga’s old Davido admiration resurfaces.
The situation gained another interesting twist after Davido dug up an older post from Erigga dating back to the early 2020s, in which the rapper had expressed interest in collaborating with him.
By bringing the old post back into the conversation, Davido added another layer to their ongoing social media back-and-forth.
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For now, what began as a discussion about musicians and family wealth has evolved into a much bigger debate about privilege, struggle, ambition and what it truly means to be self-made in the Nigerian music industry.
Ambassador for poverty …. https://t.co/jeCCH6soXd
— Davido (@davido) September 3, 2026