British-Nigerian singer and record producer Maleek Berry recently shared a fascinating story from his early career, revealing how the now-famous Nigerian music star Davido cleverly pretended to be poor during his early days in the music industry.
Speaking on the ’90s Baby’ podcast, Maleek Berry recounted his experiences working with Davido when they were both upcoming artists.
He described how they would go to a studio in Bermondsey, London, to record music together.
Maleek Berry reminisced about their time in the studio, noting that despite Davido’s wealthy background, the singer seamlessly blended in with the more modest lifestyle of his peers.
This led Maleek Berry to believe that Davido came from a less privileged family. However, this perception changed dramatically when Berry visited Davido’s father’s mansion.
In his words:
“I was there when Davido only have four thousand YouTube views. When he came to London, I would take him to studio in Bermondsey and record him,” he recalled.
“It was one of his cousins that connected us via social media. He wasn’t even known then. We were just two Nigerian guys that loved music that got connected.
“He acted around us like one of those poor kids. But when I pulled up to his dad’s crib, I was surprised. There’s money and there’s money!
“I was just so taken aback because at the time, my mind didn’t used to move like he [Davido] had money. He used to blend in with us. When I saw the tower, I was like, okay, they’re rich.”
Berry also revealed that Davido was the one who connected him to Wizkid years later.