DMW Label: What Is Left Of Davido’s Crumbling Empire?

Davido Music Worldwide was once one of the industry’s most powerful imprints.

The whole experiment started when Davido signed on Mayorkun and Dremo in 2016, and started to promote their music alongside.

By the time it was 2018, DMW had gained a reputation for being one of the powerhouses in the music industry, with Mayorkun doing well, Dremo not doing bad himself, Davido at his peak, and other artists like Peruzzi and Yonda also on the roster.

“The Mayor of Lagos” album was released in 2018, and Davido came with “A Good Time” in 2019 and it was all good. During the lockdown, things became more and more interesting as Mayorkun continued to soar. Davido capped the year with “A Better Time” release, earning him an Artist of the Year nomination. Mayorkun also got that nomination. It doesn’t get better than that for any label, honestly.

Then 2021 happened. And everything changed. Davido’s album had flopped and Mayorkun’s exit ushered in the DMW stress. Now what was once an empire with a lot of bright talents is just an unrecognizable crumbling shadow in the industry.

What Is Left Of Davido’s DMW Record Label?

For what it’s worth, Davido will always be a DMW artist, so there’s that. DMW will be back on the charts if his upcoming album receives some attention and he regains his clout. But isn’t that not nearly enough?

With Mayorkun gone, there seems to be some friction between Davido and his other artists. While Peruzzi and Dremo’s latest releases still have the DMW emblem, they also seem to now be managed by Empire, which is a signal of a big shift in their allegiances.

Also, they were nowhere to be found when Davido did his show at the O2 months ago. That one was a surprise. If they still have a contract, then they must be exiting once that contract wanes. That’s a safe assumption at this time.

Then there is Liya. She’s not Davido’s meal ticket, obviously, so she’s probably also on her way out of the label. And if not, then she just might be the last of the Mohicans.

But one thing is sure, with Davido working on his album and trying to get back on his feet, he has no time for new artists, and DMW will just have to bear the brunt.

Maybe one day, DMW will be as relevant as YBNL again. That day, though, ain’t today.