Afrobeats star Davido has publicly responded to a tweet by rapper Erigga that celebrated musicians who built their careers without family money, dismissing the post as "useless motivation" and calling Erigga an "imbecile." The exchange, which took place on September 2, 2026, has divided fans sharply over whether Erigga's tweet was a direct dig at Davido or harmless encouragement for struggling artists.
Davido fires back at Erigga's tweet
Erigga had posted a shoutout to musicians who did not come from wealthy families on September 1, 2026. The rapper wrote: "Shoutout to all the musicians who don't come from family money and had to grind for every single dollar they earn." While the post named no one directly, Davido clearly felt it was aimed at him and fired back without hesitation.
In a reply written partly in Nigerian Pidgin English, on September 2, the Afrobeats star wrote: "No be we say make your pops no guard o. Shoutout to the ones that came from family money and still grind to the top. Comot here with that your useless motivation … imbecile."
Privilege vs hustle in Nigerian music
The exchange has reignited a long-standing conversation in the Nigerian music industry about whether artists from privileged backgrounds deserve equal credit for their success. Davido, whose father is a prominent businessman, has often had his achievements questioned on those grounds. Erigga, on the other hand, has consistently positioned himself as someone who clawed his way up without such advantages.
Erigga's original tweet made no direct reference to Davido or any other artist. Yet Davido chose to engage head-on, countering the narrative that only those who lacked resources deserve recognition for putting in the work.
Fans react to Davido and Erigga's exchange
The spat drew a flood of reactions online, with opinions split right down the middle. @Presh_number7 wrote: "DAVIDO grind himself to the top. That's what most of us don't understand. Imagine your pops wanting you to do another thing and then you're left with no choice but to do what your pops want from you. Imagine that. But Davido had to find a way through resilience and hardwork and dedication too. So saying Davido got successful in music because he was rich makes you speak f00lishly"
@chattyparrot2 questioned Davido's decision to engage: "Them tweet no call your name Oga, why you dey call your fellow colleague imbecile e no really make sense, well I dey to see the end ?." @Spaceman_SPNS sided with Davido, writing: "That was a direct shad from erigga, make em talk to you direct, not through corner ?"
@AmunaNandom5 urged Davido to calm down: "OBO the message wasn't for you he was only saying that to motivate the people who are actually struggling, he knows what he said and if the message was actually for you I am definitely sure he will call your name out, don't act like a child only children make things all about themselves"
@UtdKhare suggested the feud runs deeper than a single tweet: "A lot of you are really daft calling the Erigga's tweet harmless. It is very obvious something happened off social media that warranted Davido addressing him the way he did. Something happened offline between them, Erigga came online and threw a shade and Davido responded. That is exactly what happened." @AlamumosesAMA offered a more measured take: "At the end of the day, everyone wish to come from money but sadly it's not. Shout out to those that come from and those that didn't; and still find their way to the top"
Davido ignores woman's photo request
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Davido sparked reactions after a video showed a female guest approaching him on stage for a photo during his performance. The Afrobeats star continued performing and walked past the woman without acknowledging her request, leaving her without the expected picture. The moment divided social media users, with some calling it a snub while others suggested Davido was focused on his performance.
