Davido says that he’s always known that Afrobeats would become a worldwide phenomenon, which is why he uses his influence and resources to further elevate the African narrative — even among his famous friends.

He recently released a music video for his song “Showing Off Her Body” featuring DaBaby, a body of work shot in Nigeria with behind-the-scenes reels of Da Baby’s time in The Motherland curated on Instagram.

“When DaBaby visited Nigeria, it was an amazing cultural exchange,” Davido tells Travel Noire. “Whenever any of my friends from the U.S. visits me in Nigeria, they leave with a different mindset. It happened when The Migos, Lil Baby came and when Casanova came. They usually see all of Africa’s beauty and realize that we have everything the U.S. has.”

Davido further explains that a visit to Nigeria has helped some of his rich friends be more appreciative in what they have.

“I’m driving my Lambo with DaBaby, he’s seeing the kids run and I say, ‘You see that kid smiling? He doesn’t know when his next meal is. But you see how happy he is? But us, even you, small wahala (drama) in America and you’re frowning your face.’ He looks at me and says, ‘You know, you’re right.'”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Daily Show (@thedailyshow)

According to Davido, he gives his American friends the full Nigerian experience because it’s important to know where you come from.

“To me, whether you’re Jamaican, whether you’re Haitian, if you’re Black, you’re African. So, I always love for you to come and see where you’re from,” he says. “I want to change the narrative of what you’ve been told and what you think you know. If you base it off what you watch on CNN, you’d never want to go there.”

Sughnen Yongo-Okochi