Renowned Afrobeats artist, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, recently shared the story of how his father, Chief Adedeji, sent the police to arrest him multiple times during the early days of his music career. In a candid interview on Ebro in the Morning Show on Hot 97FM in New York, Davido revealed that his father was initially opposed to his musical aspirations and wanted him to prioritize his education.
According to Davido, his father would send the police to disrupt shows he was scheduled to perform at whenever he saw billboards advertising his shows alongside those of other artists like Wizkid. “He sent police to get me… like he sees a billboard; for example, ‘Davido performing, Wizkid performing’. He would send police to arrest everybody – the show promoter, if you’re there (you would be arrested),” Davido recounted, with laughter from both himself and the show presenters.
Davido further explained that his father’s actions were motivated by his desire for him to focus on his education. “So, I gotta go back to school,” Davido said, acknowledging his father’s insistence on him pursuing his studies. However, despite the arrests, Davido’s passion for music remained unwavering.
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Davido shared a pivotal moment when he was in police custody and one of the officers recognized him as the artist behind a popular song playing on his colleague’s phone. “Then I’m in the cell and the dude that got the keys, his phone rings, and it’s my song! I said, ‘that’s me’. He said, ‘you’re Davido?’. I said, ‘yes!’. And he let me go,” Davido recalled, highlighting a turning point in his career.
After that incident, Davido released a record that gained immense popularity in Africa, even garnering attention from the president. “The president was playing it,” Davido proudly stated, indicating the significant breakthrough he achieved in his music career.
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When asked about when his father stopped trying to get him arrested, Davido shared that it was after he completed his education, although he still pursued music on a part-time basis. He clarified that his father didn’t actually hate music, but rather wanted him to take his education seriously.
Davido expressed that his father has now become his biggest fan, calling him and eagerly inquiring about his next moves. “He’s calling, asking me what next. He’s like over-asking questions,” Davido revealed with fondness, indicating that his father is now proud of his success.
