Why My Father Purchased My First Music Contract – Davido
Nigerian Afrobeat artist Davido, whose full name is David Adeleke, has responded to a post by entertainment manager Tosin Ashafa, who shared the backstory of his first official music deal.
According to Naija News, Ashafa took to X to reveal that after noticing Davido’s commitment to his music career despite lacking his father’s direct support, Davido’s father intervened and bought out the singer’s initial contract with Black Diamond Promotions, which was co-managed by Cecil Hammond and another silent partner. Ashafa shared, “I signed @davido to his first official contract under Black Diamond Promotions with Cecil Hammond/another silent partner. We hired @GodwinTom to manage him. Dr. Adeleke realized David was really serious about pushing his music without him, reached out to us, and bought us out.”
In response, Davido clarified that while the contract itself was fair, his father’s desire was for him to have full ownership of his work. He wrote, “Lmao, I remember this day. I signed the contract in 2011. It was a good deal, not bad at all! But my dad wanted me to keep 100 percent of whatever I was doing, especially after I played him the first cut of the ‘Dami Duro’ video in his office! He knew it was time for me to go big! Huge respect to you guys for letting me walk. Just know you were part of something that turned out to be incredible!”
