Davido revisits the story behind ‘Dami Duro’ beat

Afrobeats star Davido has revisited the origins of his 2011 hit “Dami Duro”, saying he began working on the song’s beat in August that year for singer Sexy Steel before producer Shizzi became involved.

Davido made the revelation in a post on X on Tuesday while responding to renewed discussion over who created the beat.

“Facts … 2011 August I actually started making the beat for Dami Duro for Sexy Steel then Shizzi came over,” Davido wrote, describing the moment as part of the song’s early history.

The comments came after an X user, Usuals, claimed that the beat Davido made for “Dami Duro” was originally his own work and said he had never publicly raised the issue.

According to the user, Davido had repeatedly said in interviews that he created the beat, prompting the renewed conversation online.

The available history of the song also records that the beat was initially intended for Sexy Steel before Davido decided to keep it and worked with Shizzi to modify it. “Dami Duro” was recorded in August 2011 and released on October 30 that year.

The song became a major early breakthrough for Davido and was later included on his debut album, Omo Baba Olowo. Its success helped establish the singer as one of the leading new voices of the Nigerian Afrobeats scene at the time.

Davido’s latest recollection adds another layer to the story of how the track was created, particularly around the roles played by the singer and Shizzi during its production.

The renewed debate comes years after “Dami Duro” became one of the defining songs of Davido’s early career.