Rita Odafe
Nigerian artist Spyro has publicly accused music executive Ubi Franklin of deceiving him by using the name of prominent artist Davido.
In a recent interview, Spyro shared that last year, Ubi invited him to Ghana for Iyanya’s birthday celebration.
Upon arriving, Spyro found himself staying in the same complex as Iyanya and Ubi. He mentioned that Ubi wanted him to perform but he refused, stating he needed to clear it with his management first.
Ubi then claimed that Davido invited Spyro to a party in Ghana where he could perform with a promised payment of $5,000. Spyro noted, “He called me to say it’s Iyanya’s birthday, and mentioned that we’d perform at a party Davido was hosting for that amount. I had to inform him that my performance rate is N20 million, and not $5,000.”
Believing it was important to connect with Davido for a promotional video for his music, Spyro accompanied Ubi to the party, although they hadn’t finalized performance fees. When he arrived and was called on stage, he felt he had no choice but to perform due to the presence of esteemed guests.
After performing, Spyro inquired about the promised payment, to which Ubi suggested they speak to Davido. However, after persistent questioning, Ubi admitted that Davido had never invited Spyro or made any promises regarding payment. To this day, Spyro has not received the money that was discussed.
Spyro recounted, “I told Ubi I would contact Davido since we were told to come for the show, but Ubi insisted I shouldn’t bother Davido because he was not involved and had no idea what was happening. I was shocked to hear that Ubi had exploited Davido’s name to get me on stage.”
He concluded by expressing his frustration, describing the incident as an outright scam and urging for an end to such fraudulent practices.
Check out a clip of his interview below;
