“Without Lati, there’s no Davido” — Davido how childhood friend helped launch his music career

Afrobeats superstar, Davido has shared the touching story of how his childhood friend, Lati, helped shape the career that eventually made him one of Africa’s biggest music stars.

Speaking during the conversation, Davido said, “Without Lati, there’s no Davido.”

Davido explained that Lati worked for his late mother before she passed away. After her death, he said Lati was asked to leave the family home by his stepmother, but the pair had already formed a close bond because Lati was the youngest member of staff.

The singer said, “Lati used to work for my mum. My mum passed, you know, Lati used to work for my mum. So when my mum passed, you know, Lati stayed around. And then when my mum passed, my step mum came, chased Lati away from the house.”

According to Davido, Lati was passionate about music production and DJing, often taking him to recording studios without anyone knowing.

He said, “Lati would sneak me in his car, go to the studio… He used to do music and DJ. So then he would carry me to the studio.”

“Without Lati there is no Davido oo”

~ Davido explains his friendship with Lati to Carter Efe and how he used to sneak him to the studio pic.twitter.com/p0BuKhFxpI

— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) August 4, 2026