Speed Darlington Names Nigeria’s Biggest Artiste, Takes Swipe at Davido

Speed Darlington Names Nigeria’s Biggest Artiste, Takes Swipe at Davido

  • Speed Darlington boldly placed himself above Wizkid and Flavour in a ranking of Nigeria's biggest artistes
  • The rapper, also known as Akpi, had kind words for Davido before throwing shade at the singer in the same video
  • Speed Darlington's comparison of Wizkid and Davido's responses to criticism sparked mixed reactions online

Speed Darlington is at it again. The controversial Nigerian rapper, widely known as Akpi, has stirred fresh conversation online after placing himself at the top of Nigeria's music pyramid in a video that circulated widely on X on October 22, 2026.

In the clip, Darlington declared himself the number one artiste in the country, slotting Grammy-winning singer Wizkid into second place and Flavour third.

Speed Darlington ranks himself, Wizkid and Flavour among Nigeria’s biggest artistes while shading Davido
Nigerian rapper Speed Darlington makes bold claims about his position in the music industry and compares Wizkid with Davido. Photo: speeddarlintv/davido
Source: Instagram

He described Wizkid as the king and "papa" among the other major Nigerian acts, though notably in his ranking, that position still sits behind him.

Speed Darlington on Davido

The remarks about Afrobeats singer Davido came in two contrasting waves.

Read also

Resurfaced video of VDM having fun at Davido’s plush wedding gets people talking amid ongoing beef

Early in the video, Speed Darlington softened his usually provocative tone, saying he has no issue with "that boy from Osun" because the singer has a good heart.

However, that warmth did not last long.

When he turned to praising Wizkid's handling of online critics, Darlington used the moment to take a quiet but deliberate dig at Davido.

The rapper argued that Wizkid simply ignores detractors without responding, while Davido, in his view, is "a talker" who engages with critics directly.

Speed Darlington places Wizkid and Flavour among Nigeria’s top artistes while throwing shade at Davido
Speed Darlington sparks reactions with his ranking of Nigeria’s biggest music stars and comments about Davido’s response to critics. Photo: speeddarlintv
Source: Instagram

Speed Darlington's bold claims, familiar pattern

This is far from the first time Darlington has positioned himself at the summit of the Nigerian music industry.

The rapper has built much of his public persona around outspoken, self-elevating commentary on industry rankings and the perceived hierarchy among major stars.

His latest video follows that familiar pattern, generating attention not just for the rankings themselves, but for the pointed contrast he drew between Wizkid's silence and Davido's more vocal approach to public criticism.

Read also

Elon Musk names his greatest musician of all time, compares him to Shakespeare

The comments have fuelled a fresh round of debate among music fans about where Nigeria's top artistes truly stand relative to one another.

Watch Speed Darlington speak about Nigeria’s biggest artiste in the X video below:

Speed Darlington regrets building mansion

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Speed Darlington expressed regret after starting his 18-room mansion in his hometown.

The music star shared in a humorous video that he has lost 5kg in a few days due to the stress from the building project, jokingly saying there was no need to go to the gym.

He revealed that the mansion has 11 toilets, which he admitted he does not even need, and lamented that the project may not be completed anytime soon.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Kola Ogunkanmi avatar

Kola Ogunkanmi (Entertainment Editor) Kola Ogunkanmi is an entertainment journalist and digital content writer with 5 years of experience in news reporting, content curation, and social media management. He has written entertainment, celebrity, and trending stories for Gistreel.com and was also a freelance contributor to FotNews. Kola currently works at Legit.ng as an Entertainment Editor, covering celebrity gossip, pop culture, and digital trends. He is also a self-published author with experience in fiction and nonfiction writing, and he’s involved in storytelling and transcription as well. Contact: kola.ogunkanmi@corp.legit.ng