Afrobeats veteran Wande Coal and superstar Davido engaged in a public back-and-forth on X after Wande Coal opened up about why a song the two recorded together was never officially released, sparking a heated but ultimately good-humored exchange between the two long-time collaborators.
In his initial post, Wande Coal, who goes by the handle @WANDECOAL and often uses the nickname "Don Papasito," questioned the circumstances under which the song was handed over, writing, "Carry song come give you as how? Song wey been get release plan and date!!!" He continued, pushing back firmly against what he characterized as an attempt to control the fate of a song that wasn't solely his to release, adding, "Song wey no be your own you wan dictate release plan." Wande Coal didn't stop there, further asserting that the track had performed well commercially even without Davido's involvement on the final version, stating bluntly, "That song did well without you on it bruv!!!"
Davido responded with characteristic humor rather than escalating the tension, replying simply, "No vex Mr Little," playfully referencing Wande Coal's well-known nickname within the industry. Wande Coal fired back in the same lighthearted spirit, closing out the exchange with "No vex too Mr Toto beggar," a witty comeback that appeared to defuse what could have otherwise read as a serious industry dispute.
The exchange, while entertaining, touches on a working relationship between the two artistes that stretches back well over a decade. Davido and Wande Coal have collaborated on multiple occasions throughout their careers, including tracks that have circulated among fans for years without official release, feeding into a long-running fan fascination with their chemistry in the studio. Snippets and unreleased versions of Davido and Wande Coal collaborations have periodically surfaced online over the years, often going viral among fans eager for a full, official release, which suggests this particular song may be one of several unreleased joint efforts between the two that have built up anticipation over time.
Wande Coal, born Oluwatobiloba Anifowoshe Ojo, remains one of the most respected and influential voices in Afrobeats, having first risen to prominence in the mid-2000s as a member of the Mo'Hits Records collective, a label that also helped launch the careers of some of the genre's biggest names. Since then, he has built a solo career defined by his distinctive vocal style, blending Afrobeats, R&B, and soulful melodies across multiple studio albums, including his most recent project, "Legend or No Legend," released in 2023. Notably, that album's original release date was itself pushed back after it was set to coincide with the release of Davido's own fourth studio album, "Timeless," a scheduling overlap that led Wande Coal to shift his release by roughly a week at the time, an interesting parallel given the current conversation around release timing and control.
More recently, Wande Coal has continued to stay active within the industry, releasing collaborative projects such as the "Best of Both Worlds" EP alongside producer Kel-P, and continuing to feature prominently in weekly new music roundups alongside contemporaries like Wizkid and Davido himself. He has also teased fans in recent months with previews of new unreleased material, confirming that a new full-length album is complete and expected soon, even as an official release date remains unconfirmed.
Davido, for his part, remains one of Nigeria's most commercially dominant and globally recognized music exports, having released his fifth studio album, "5ive," in 2025, featuring high-profile collaborations with artistes including Chris Brown and Omah Lay. His response to Wande Coal's comments, brief and jokingly self-deprecating, reflects the kind of camaraderie that has typically characterized their public interactions over the years, despite occasional flashes of tension of the sort seen in this latest exchange.
While the specific unreleased song at the center of this exchange has not been officially named or detailed further by either artiste, the playful nature of their final exchange suggests the moment was more a candid airing of creative frustrations between two artistes with a long shared history than any indication of a genuine rift. Given their track record of previous unreleased collaborations eventually surfacing or finding their way to fans in some form, industry watchers and fans alike will likely continue to speculate on whether this particular song might yet see an official release in the future.
Gist source: GistCity News — follow them on YouTube/Instagram/TikTok @gistcitynews
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