Nigerian rapper Erhiga Agarivbie, popularly known as Erigga, has sparked a heated debate on X after praising musicians who did not come from wealthy backgrounds and had to work their way up financially.
Erigga, in a post on Tuesday night, wrote: “Shoutout to all the musicians who don’t come from family money and had to grind for every single dollar they earn.”
Afrobeats star David Adeleke, better known as Davido, responded by pointing out that musicians from wealthy families also deserve recognition when they work hard to build successful careers.
Davido, who is the son of billionaire businessman Adedeji Adeleke, wrote on Wednesday night: “No be we say make your pops no guard o. Shoutout to the ones that came from family money and still grind to the top.”
The singer later described Erigga’s message as “useless motivation” and referred to the rapper as an “imbecile.”
The exchange has since generated widespread reactions on X, with thousands of posts joining the debate.
While some users defended Erigga, arguing that his post was simply intended to celebrate artists who achieved success without financial privilege, others suggested that the tweet was an indirect jab at Davido, who comes from a wealthy family.
One X user, Moses5_a, wrote: “This tweet is so harmless. I don’t know why people are crying over it. He clearly wasn’t shading anyone but somehow someone got offended. If you follow Erigga way back from 2020, you will know he’s all about motivation.”
Another user, NurseVictoria01, argued that coming from a wealthy family does not automatically invalidate an artist’s achievements.
“There’s no award or glory for suffering. When are you ever going to act your age? Stop throwing unintelligent shade. No one stopped your ancestors or your father from securing the bag. You can chase X money without hating on the rich,” the user wrote.
Meanwhile, Shandymoney directly challenged Erigga, writing: “Kuku mention Davido.”
Another user, CrystalReignz, appeared to side with Davido, writing: “Give them back to back, nobody has the right to discredit your effort.”
However, some users questioned why Davido assumed the post was directed at him.
Mautiin01 asked: “But how you take know say na you he dey follow talk? You catch sub?”
Similarly, HonitelHQ argued that Erigga never mentioned Davido in the post.
“You have a very low self esteem and it is really pathetic. There is no place in that tweet where he mentioned your name. You are not the only artist in Nigeria that comes from money. The tweet isn’t even a sub but your insecurity won’t let you ignore something that isn’t about you,” the user stated.
Feyitayo2724, however, defended Davido, arguing that being born into a wealthy family does not erase the effort required to succeed.
“The easiest way to make it in life is through inheritance (being born into a rich home). Blame it on your parents if you weren’t born rich, and not try to downplay the efforts of others because they are from a well-to-do home,” the user wrote.
The controversy has reignited a broader conversation about wealth, privilege and hard work in Nigeria’s entertainment industry, with social media users divided over whether Erigga’s post was simply motivational or an indirect criticism of wealthy musicians.
