Davido releases record with Rae Sremmurd and Young Thug

Pere arrives only weeks after the popstar engaged in a much reported exchange with his rival Wizkid. Both artists took swipes at each other concerning their push into the international market. And shortly after the exchange, Wizkid released his first album under Sony Music. Sounds from the Other Side featured such global stars as Major Lazer, Chris Brown and Drake.

Although, Davido has hinted at the collaboration for a long time, with a photo of Davido smiling with the duo Rae Sremmurd appearing online months ago, the new single has appeared in time to be seen as follow-up to the beef with Wizkid. As some fans have pointed out online, both Rae Sremmurd and Young Thug appear in the new video. Drake didn’t appear in two videos for Wizkid's Come Closer.

Pere may also be viewed as Davido’s return to bidding for US attention. He had earlier expressed disappointment with the artistic direction of his music under Sony.

“They tried to change my music, which I wasn’t happy about,” he said to the Guardian. “First of all, I didn’t even want to take the deal because I didn’t need it. I was doing tours all over Africa with 50,000 to 80,000, people so it was like why am I signing the deal? They tried to fix me up with a producer and I decided to come home, but I’m still signed to them, it’s going good.”

Around the time of the complaint, Davido announced a Back to Basics tour, focusing on performing in some cities in Nigeria; he also released singles with clear Nigerian influences. He is however now touring the world, only recently performing in New York and Bamako. “Legendary moments !” he tweeted, following his performance in Bamako. “Thank you Mali! I’m living the dream! Thank you God for everything!”

Explaining how the collaborations on Pere came up, Davido told US magazine Fader: “I met up with Rae Sremmurd out in L.A. last year and played them the track. They loved the Afro trap vibe the song had and wanted to jump on it immediately. Three months later, I met Young Thug. Once he heard the song he wanted to record a verse.”

Watch the video for Pere below: