Welcome to another episode of the VICE News culture series “Currently Obsessed,” where tastemakers from the music, film, TV and art industries tell us what they’re consuming — or what’s consuming them — right now, and why.
This time we tapped Davido, an Atlanta-born and Nigeria-raised artist known for churning out Afrobeat hits with a global appeal, like “Skelewu” and “If”. Davido’s single “Fall”, originally released two years ago, recently saw a resurgence in the U.S. market. Established stars like Drake and Janet Jackson have released Afrobeat-inspired tracks over the past few years as a U.S. audience catches on to a West African music genre already popular internationally.
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Davido currently has two hip-hop albums in heavy rotation: Championships, by Meek Mill and Offset’s Father of 4.
“Meek’s music just makes you feel good, makes you want to hustle,” Davido says. But he’s also into high-energy tracks by EDM artist Marshmello and the chill vibes of South African house DJ Black Coffee.
“Music is one of the things that makes Africa great,” Davido says. “Every Afrobeats song that you listen to is total positivity. We don’t talk about drugs, guns, none of that.” To him, the perfect introduction to Afrobeats would start with musical icon Fela Kuti, a pioneer of the genre.
Watch the first episode of Currently Obsessed with Chromeo’s Dave 1.
