Music executive Soso Soberekon has revealed that Kcee's 2012 hit song "Limpopo" was originally intended to feature global superstar Beyoncé, a collaboration that ultimately fell through due to Beyoncé's refusal to stay overnight in Nigeria. Soberekon made the disclosure during a conversation on media personality Daddy Freeze's Instagram Live, sparking widespread reactions among Nigerian entertainment fans.
How the New York Trip Unfolded
According to Soberekon, a Nigerian billionaire with ambitions to bring Beyoncé to Nigeria enlisted his help because the billionaire had no entertainment industry connections. Soberekon and the billionaire travelled to New York to explore the possibility of a collaboration between Beyoncé and Kcee. The delegation visited Jay-Z's famous 40/40 Club in Manhattan, where Soberekon made a key industry connection. From there, the team worked through a chain of contacts until they reached Beyoncé's agents to table a formal offer.
The proposed deal was structured on two levels: Beyoncé would headline a major concert in Lagos at Eko Atlantic, and as part of that same arrangement, she would appear on a song with Kcee. While awaiting the agents' response, the team returned to Nigeria. During that waiting period, Kcee and Soberekon recorded "Limpopo" with the feature slot in mind, expecting Beyoncé to be on the record. Soberekon said the song turned out so well that they were already convinced it would be a hit regardless.
Why the Deal Collapsed
The deal eventually collapsed when Beyoncé's camp communicated through her agent that she would not agree to spend the night in Nigeria. Her condition was that any meeting would have to take place in Ghana instead. The Nigerian team declined, and the collaboration never happened. Soberekon recounted: "The agent now come break our heart, come say not three songs, he won't offer us. Because Beyoncé said she will not sleep in Nigeria, she will sleep in Ghana."
Fans React to the Beyoncé Revelation
The clip quickly made the rounds on social media, with many Nigerians finding the story almost too far-fetched to believe. Reactions included @romeojuwee8 writing "Una dey see Beyonce finish?" and @somtochukwu511 commenting "Wetin Beyonce wan sing for Limpopo bikonu?" @lilzynco quipped "Beyoncé is from Texas not NY? make una Dey add maggi small small for dis lies???" while @lilchazze_ asked "How the song wan take sweet? with Beyoncé." @dannymandxb wrote "Oya Limpopo Beyoncé l say make you Limpopo??" and @efe_must_shine was sceptical: "Lies, u can not just jump on the plane n went to search for any artist bcos all artists in the world got their agents n management."
In a related development, Legit.ng earlier reported that Beyoncé's BeyGood Foundation established the Black Parade Small Business Impact Luncheon to "celebrate people, communities, and small businesses impacted by economic inequities worldwide," with Beyoncé pledging £806,400 (N700m) to help companies. The foundation selected Chuku's, a Nigerian-owned restaurant in Tottenham, North London, to receive N7 million. This revelation about the Limpopo collaboration adds another layer to Beyoncé's interactions with Nigerian culture and business.
