Dream. “Feel- Unavailable.”
Fela Kuti is a Nigerian musician and activist who launched a modern style of music called Afro-beat, which fused American blues, jass, and funk with traditional Yoruba.
She died of a heart attack during a 2008 concert in Italy. Makeba was among the first African musicians to receive worldwide recognition. She brought African music to a Western audience, and popularised the world music and Afropop genres.
Angélique Kidjo, is a Beninese-French singer-songwriter, actress, and activist noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music like Afropop, Afrobeat, reggae world music world fusion worldbeat jazz gospel Latin and videos.
Kidjo was born into a family of performing artists. Her father was a musician, and her mother worked as a choreographer and theatre director.
Kojo Antwi, a Ghanaian musician, created Reggae with lots of African influences in the Lovers Rock style and Roots Reggae alongside authentic African songs. He sings in both.
Martin King Arthur popularly known as Kofi Kinaata is a Ghanaian musician and songwriter from Takoradi. He is noted for his Fante rap and freestyle and therefore known as the Fante Rap God. Apart from his rap prowess, he has grown into a very good singer taking the highlife to another level.
David Adedeji Adeleke also a songwriter, singer, and a record producer of Afrobeats Afropop poo.
Touched by their performances representing the people’s desire for freedom and peace, David Adedeji Adeleke chose to dedicate his life to creating music that lifts people’s spirits.
He now performs in Africa and the whole world, and has released his latest song “feel”-“Unavailable.”
In this issue of the AssumptaGH Newsletter, we cover some aspects of his endeavours.
David Adedeji Adeleke born November 21, 1992, known professionally as Davido, is an American-born Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer.
Born in Atlanta, US, and raised in Lagos, he made his music debut as a member of the music group KB International. Davido studied business administration at Oakwood University before dropping out to make beats and record vocal references.
He rose to fame after releasing “Dami Duro”, the second single from his debut studio album Omo Baba Olowo (2012), from which six additional singles”Back When,” “Ekuro”, “Overseas,” “All of You,” “Gbon Gbon”, and “Feel Alright” were taken.
In 2012, Davido won the Next Rated award at The Headies. Between 2013 and 2015, he released the hit singles “Gobe”, “One of a Kind”, “Skelewu”, “Aye”, “Tchelete (Goodlife)”, “Naughty”, “Owo Ni Koko”, “The Sound” and “The Money”.
Your humorous and friendly way of speaking in Igbo and Yoruba dialect and your magnificent performance move AssumptaGH Publications.
For me, I like sharing my words with people in my dialect.
You often shout out to the crowd with your passion for peace and joy.
Indeed, I always pray that my voice strikes a chord in the audience.
Woa, you are a specialist. People often ask why is it that you seem different than other Nigerian artists?
- Indeed, it might be true that I am quite different, and my life, looking back on it, does infact look very unique.
(2) I was 16 when I arrived in Huntsville, a year earlier. My father, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke, a well-known businessman and Seventh-day Adventist in Nigeria dropped me off with my passport, $2,000 cash, and freshman registration documents for Oakwood University, a historically black Christian college.
I had already spent time in the U.S and was born in Atlanta, and sometimes visited in the summer but much about life in the States was new to me. “That was the first time I had a phone in America. There was unlimited calling. I never saw anything like that before, “In Nigeria, you gotta pay before you get what you want.
The school roomed with me with another international student, a Rwandan track athlete.
I was like, ‘Okay, wow. They just put all the African people together?’”but i gravitated toward an upstairs neighbour named Jaymo, an American kid whose speakers constantly rattled my room ceiling. “One day, I went to go check what the noise was.
I went upstairs, opened the door, and the guy had a full studio in his room,” i said to him that I was trying to do music, too.
He asked me, ‘How much do you have to invest in equipment?’ And I said, ‘$2,000.’ He was like, ‘That’s too much.’” We went to Guitar Center with $500.
From then on, I spent most of my time making beats and recording vocal references to send to a cousin in Lagos, a fellow musician with a trove of industry contacts.
My grades slipped, and after three semesters, I dropped out and left town without telling my father. First I went to Atlanta, where I used my older brother’s ID to get into clubs, and funnelled the money my father sent for school and living expenses toward drinks and motels.
Later, I threw out my SIM card and hopped on a plane to London, where I went MIA for several months as I shifted my focus from production to vocals. “There was no Snapchat, no Instagram. There was barely Twitter. “I just went off the radar.
To cut the whole experience short, I set out to my musical dream with $500. Surprisingly, today, I have become a person who sings and performs and tells stories for audiences around the world.
Thank you for sharing your life experience with us. Have you ever wondered about what kind of music you wanted to play?
- Although I have gradually become famous as an African musician, I have always desired to bring what is called Afrobeat pop music to the top.
- That is what has drastically changed my image of music. And I realized that Afrobeat pop, which for me had mostly been a tool for making money, also has the tremendous power to make people feel happy.
It was also through music that I was first awakened to my mission to contribute to peace. I have since had many offers, and now I performed before the Lusail Iconic Stadium, the biggest stadium at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, boasting a capacity of 80,000.
I have made it a policy to play music and pray for my listeners happiness. This is because the pioneers Fela, Miriam Makeba, Angélique Kidjo, Kojo Antwi, all of them prayed wholeheartedly for our happiness while giving constant encouragement through their songs.
With the same spirit, I sing and dance.
Thank you very much Davido for spending time with us. We hope one day you will collaborate with Tiwa Savage and Ayra to give Africa one beautiful song.
