Singer Davido has sparked online controversy after calling show promoter Paulo Okoye “Paul Broke” during a public exchange over the state of Afrobeats.
The Grammy-nominated artist left the pointed comment on an Instagram post by talent manager Bankulli, who had rejected Okoye’s claim that the genre is “dead or in a coma” in 2026.
Davido simply wrote: “PAUL O AKA PAUL BROKE.”
The brief remark quickly drew hundreds of likes and mixed reactions from fans and industry observers.
Okoye, who is also the partner of Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo, had earlier suggested Afrobeats was in serious decline. Bankulli countered that the genre was evolving rather than dying, citing active artists including Qing Madi, Ruger, Blaqbonez, Odumodublvck, Fireboy DML, Joeboy, Ayra Starr and Johnny Drille as evidence of continued momentum.
Bankulli also criticised promoters for equating their frustration over rising booking fees with the industry’s overall health, saying: “It’s okay for you to be obsessed with booking of some other expensive artiste and can’t do so now for whatever reasons but to equate to that statement is not good my brother. Times have changed in the pricing regime of Nigerian artistes.”
He urged stakeholders to invest in concert infrastructure and support emerging talent instead of damaging the genre’s reputation.
