A Wizkid-Davido Tour Will Save The World*
(*Hyperbole, of course).
If Wizkid’s social media posts are anything to go by, there’s him and Davido tour in the works. On Wednesday afternoon, he posted an Instagram story with the caption, “After my ‘MLLE (More Love, Less Ego)’ tour!! Davido and I going on tour! save your coins! I no wan hear pim”. It’s a seemingly innocuous announcement, but it’s enormous – for several reasons.
Firstly, Wizkid FC vs 30GB. Two of the most vociferous fan bases in the history of Nigerian music. That is no hyperbole. These two fan bases put the V in vicious. They support their faves the loudest and attack each other the most caustically. Over the last five years or so, some observers have suggested that the two acts fuel these Twitter wars and that the stans are a direct consequence of how they feel about each other. I don’t believe these megastars would get involved at this base level. Yes, it’s no secret that sometimes they do not always get along. But in 2017, they nearly broke the internet when each appeared at the other’s concerts; Davido first surprised the audience at Wizkid’s Live In Concert. That moment was five years ago, and both have grown bigger. Now imagine Wizkid and Davido on an entire tour. The FC-30BG truce is the most anticipated ceasefire since Putin invaded Ukraine.
Secondly, most fans will agree that for a few years now, the trifecta of Nigeria’s biggest music stars that comprise Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy, has had a clear leader: Burna. Not that the two have done poorly; Burna Boy has just had that ever-so-slight lead on them. If his individual Grammy win isn’t a factor, his constant inroads into Europe and America simply by giving superlative performances are. I don’t think they’ll admit it because I don’t expect they’ll think of their successes as inadequate but as a commentator, they need a big win. A collaborative tour between two of the biggest three is a win, more so with the unique back story to it all.
Most importantly, tours provide a unique experience that often gets overlooked in this part of the world. Tours allow artists to chat with fans directly, unlike record/streaming sales, brand endorsements or end-of-the-year headline concerts. With significant label distribution that has access to all the music streaming companies, it’s almost a given that these big stars will amass the type of numbers they do. Between Wizkid and Davido, they have the colossal RCA/SONY institution behind them. Their star power guarantees that each body of work that comes out from either of them has a benchmark of whatever million streams within a few days. At this stage, it’s almost as predictable as clockwork. Considering that the streaming pie has several layers, it cannot be the sole pathway to musical success.
Tours, on the other hand, are a different thing entirely. Thanks to stars like Wiz and O.B.O., African music has reached corners of the world that they did not envisage. This means that there are fans all over the globe who have connected to their music, and it’s only fitting that they have that experience as well. Older fans remember the Jay Z and D.M.X. Hard Knock Life Tour of 1999. Others may remember the Up In Smoke Tour of the same year that had Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, and all of their friends. Both became cultural moments in the hip-hop genre. Afrobeats generally have not embraced touring as much as the opportunity presents. Yes, from time to time, artists do a few cities here and there. Yes, individual stars can sell out arenas all over the world. Collaborative tours such as the one Wiz spoke of possess the possibility of being even much more significant.
That said, there’s still a long way to go before this happens. Wizkid has a twenty-city More Love Less Ego tour from March to April. After his performance at the final of the Qatar 2023 World Cup in December, Davido says his next project, whatever it is, will be in March. Many things might still happen before the proposed tour, but it is now highly anticipated. The game needs to happen. The world needs it.
Here’s another reason why a Wizkid-Davido tour needs to happen: the incredible images that Michael Tubes Creations will capture. Like Wizzy said, don’t dull…
Jide Taiwo is a writer and media executive. He’s based in Lagos, Nigeria and tweets via @thejidetaiwo.
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A Wizkid-Davido Tour Will Save The World*
