Nigerian music star Davido has taken a swipe at music promoter Paulo Okoye following comments by the entertainment executive about the current state of Afrobeats and the rising fees charged by some Nigerian artistes.
Paulo, who is the partner of Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo, recently expressed concern over the increasing cost of booking some of Nigeria’s leading Afrobeats performers.
While discussing the issue, he questioned whether the genre was experiencing a decline, asking if Afrobeats was “dead or in a coma.”
His comments generated reactions within the Nigerian entertainment industry, with some industry figures disagreeing with his assessment.
Grammy-nominated Nigerian music executive Bankulli criticised Paulo’s position and argued that his comments about artiste fees were misplaced. He also suggested that Paulo’s concerns could be linked to the financial demands associated with booking major artistes.
Davido subsequently joined the conversation in the comment section of the post, appearing to mock Paulo over the disagreement.
The award-winning singer referred to the promoter as “broke” in his brief response, adding another dimension to the ongoing debate over artiste fees and the commercial value of Afrobeats.
The exchange has attracted attention because of Davido’s long-standing presence in the global Afrobeats scene and Paulo’s role as a music promoter involved in the entertainment industry.
Davido and Paulo’s Previous Interaction
The latest exchange comes nearly two years after Paulo publicly defended Davido following criticism of the singer’s comments about Nigeria’s economic situation.
Davido had previously described the Nigerian economy as being in serious difficulty during an appearance on The Big Homies House podcast, prompting reactions from members of the public and the entertainment community.
Paulo later defended the singer against some of the criticism surrounding those remarks.
Meanwhile, Iyabo Ojo publicly confirmed her relationship with Paulo in December 2022 during celebrations marking her 45th birthday.
The latest disagreement has once again placed the entertainment figures in the spotlight as discussions continue over the growth of Afrobeats, artiste booking fees and the changing economics of Nigeria’s music industry.