Wizkid vs Davido: Why A Starboy and OBO collaboration isn’t a good idea

Unless these two can tap into a frequency where they can connect, the single that we all wish for might turn out to be wack.

For years, it has been shared within the industry that Wizkid and Davido are working together on a joint single. The speculation came many years ago at the start of their domination when they had just begun to build what would become superstardom in Africa. People rejoiced at that possibility because it’s always a good day when your idols aren’t rivals, and they can join forces to make music.

But although that hasn’t happened, the anticipation for such a single still exists. Wizkid and Davido have moved far from working together. As things stand, they are as far away from each other as the North Pole is to the South Pole. They don’t like each other, nor appreciate their mutual existence in their lives. Theirs isn’t a 2face Idibia-Sound Sultan relationship. It’s more like cat-and-dog. And as it stands, I believe that anticipation for a joint single will remain a figment of our imagination for a long time.

 

I’m not looking forward to that project becoming a reality. Wizkid and Davido might not have skills compatible enough to make a great record to justify these years of wishing for it. When artists come together to make a single together, they are supposed to create harmony by ensuring that their styles work for them. They aren’t just throwing their talents together, for a collaboration this big, there has to be perfection. It’s all or nothing.

Wizkid and Davido are two different artists produced by different walks of life. Their path to success has been markedly different. And although the outcome of their efforts have been interesting to see, they still remain two extremely different folks, and hitting the studio with that pressure might not result in the jam that we all want. It might be a monumental catastrophe. Their music deal in similar themes, but their approach is different.

Wizkid is that guy in school that everyone wants to hang with because he is extremely talented. The skill, charisma and drive is exemplary for everyone to see. When he makes music, he approaches it from thousands of ways. While the end-product is almost certainly a pop song, you could find deeper layers in everything he does, and there’s also the promise of him applying that skill somewhere else. He is at his best when he is freestyling, just making music for the sake of it, and exercising his muscles just because a beat is in the background. People see that, and they recognise him for it.

 

Davido’s ability is more complex. While his passion for making music is contagious, he does appear to be a communal effort. Making music for Davido is all about strategy than talent; where does he seek his next hit song? Which artist can write his next jam? Can a trend be ridden to success? His music making process feels like the product of a sales pitch, where a lot of hands come together to make a dope product for sale.

Nothing about Davido feels organic. When you dig deep into his biggest songs, nothing is ever straightforward. There are always third parties involved in it, or an inspiration that comes from without, which involved acquisition with money. He has a complex process to arriving at his music, and it works for him.

Bringing Wizkid and Davido on a record is to find the perfect spot to make their difference work. How do you integrate their two worlds in a way that doesn’t seem forced and gritty? There’s also the difference of emotion. Throw Wizkid and Davido in a room, and the atmosphere is already negative and charged up. They detest themselves. They have never worked together, or made music on which they have appeared as guests. The only creative connection between their music is the producer Shizzi. He has history with working with both acts. Perhaps he might find a balance where they might make their best music, but that is uncertain probability.

 

Unless these two can tap into a frequency where they can connect, the single that we all wish for might turn out to be wack. It might be a disappointing blank, rather than the sonic phenomenon we dream about. I would rather have my dreams, than a reality that doesn’t measure up to it.

And what inspired this article? Yesterday, I saw a colleague offer me noodles and banana as an experimental meal. Noodles taste great, Banana is a legend. But putting them together is a terrible idea. Wizkid and Davido, I’ve realised, are like noodles and banana. They are great as singular items offering nourishment. But it doesn’t mean they will go well together, whether in your mouth, or on a beat.