Davido teams up with UnitedMasters to launch his own label

when Steve Stoute Linked up with Davido at his UnitedMasters SelectCon event last year, he didn't hesitate at the chance to build with the Afrobeats superstar. After their initial meeting, the executive visited Davido's hometown of Lagos, Nigeria and dared the “Fall” crooner to dream bigger. Stoute envisioned Davido, adept at crafting sweet tunes with a Nigerian feel, leading nothing short of a global takeover — not only as a top artist but also as a businessman.

As of Wednesday (April 17), the three-time Grammy nominee will begin a new chapter as a full-time executive, signing a deal with UnitedMasters (which recently launched in Nigeria) to launch a new label, Nine+ Records. Stoute and Davido are clear that they won't be limited to Afrobeats, but will venture into the realms of hip-hop, R&B, Latin, country and more, casting a wide net for new talent.

“I think the music that Davido was able to make, produce and share with the world was amazing,” says Stoute. “For me, I think his connection between Nigeria and Atlanta, and everything he's been through has brought unique experiences that I can hear and feel through his lyrics and production. I didn't even know it [at the time]I just knew there was something different about his sound and the way he structured his songs.”

According to Stoute, it didn't take much convincing: He sold Davido on the potential of creating a label reminiscent of the gritty rap imprints he witnessed firsthand in the '90s and '00s.

“There's such a great opportunity globally, and I see him as an entrepreneur who could create the next Bad Boy, the next Death Row, and the next company that has a significant impact like a Cash Money,” Stoute says. “[I told him to] forget everything you did before, let's commit to creating something in a joint venture and that is the formation of Nine+ and UnitedMasters.”

Advertising sign spoke to Davido and Steve Stoute about their new partnership, the importance of having a great team and more.

Davido, what made you decide to work with UnitedMasters for your new record label Nine+ Records?

David: Shout out to big brother. There is one thing I will always love, which is nurturing new talent, nurturing them and helping them grow. I've been doing this since Afrobeats wasn't even Afrobeats, since you didn't even know what it was. Since I started writing my first song, I've helped my two cousins ​​work on their music. I put them under my label, but it got to a point where I felt like I needed some knowledge. I need some mentors to advise me. Some artists, all you need is one hit song and your life can change. Sometimes when you get to that point, you have no one to advise you on how to move and complete the good paperwork. I just felt like that was one thing that Steve Stoute represents, and that's helping artists and making sure they know the best option when it comes to business. My job is obviously to bring the creatives and deliver, but I need Steve's vision on how to mentor these young artists.

Steve, speak to the tutelage you hope to instill in Davido from an executive lens with the years of experience you have under your belt.

There is a fine line between what a talent should do and what an executive should do. For many talents, it is very difficult to be an executive or it is difficult for them to jump that fence. I will be there to help him because he comes from a lineage of very, very close, philosophically sound entrepreneurs.

His father was G. His father was very special and talented. Davido is also very creative. It takes that kind of left and right brain to be a talented musician who could work with talent as well as be an entrepreneur. To be able to put it together to build one of these legacy companies, the greatest artists have always had that trait. It has this quality.

The best thing I can do is use my experience as a veteran in this business to help him put up guardrails to keep him because I want him to be the biggest artist in the world and continue his career as an artist, but in keep creating something that's legacy out there with Nine+.

Before that, I was president at Interscope. when Jimmy [Iovine] built Interscope, it was all about those labels. Whether it was Pharrell's label, Organized Noize, Timbaland or Aftermath, those were labels that were created because Jimmy made the Ruff Ryders. Jimmy believed in this model. So I came from working with talent that had labels and I understand how to make this model just from that experience. I want to pass it on to this young entrepreneur, creative genius.

What's the best advice you've gotten from Steve about getting up to speed as an executive and growing Nine+ into what you ultimately want it to be?

David: First of all, you have to have a good team. There's one thing I learned from Steve: I didn't know you had to take all that to get a record label because where I'm from and where you record, there's no office. Now…with Steve, we get an office, we get [a lot]. I have a studio and a headquarters, but it's different from the way I've worked.

Steve Stoute: If you want to scale, you have to bring structure. He's a super talented guy. He will find talented people. There were a lot of people who are talented, but they didn't have the business structure around them. They never had the chance to see the results of their talents come to fruition. It's the guys who had structure with talent who were able to go all the way. My job is to bring that structure to him and hopefully his team.

He has a great team around him. He has a great group of people with chemistry. Chemistry is underrated and underrated. It is very important who you want to work with. We are here to bring that structure and funding so it can do what it needs to do. My job is not to go there and record A&R. If I can get him in the room with the producers and the artists, and I can get him out of the room, that's my job. To enter the room and to leave.

Again, my experience of doing this for a while and being able to help create that structure, whether it's an office or not, that's what I bring to the table and I'm looking forward to working with him and building something that's a fold of his heritage.

With Nine+, do you want to expand beyond Afrobeats?

David: Oh yes, everything. R&B, trap, etc. Obviously, I'll start with Africa, but definitely yes. I can see we're going all the way. I don't see why not.

Steve Stoute: Look, I told you, my husband has roots from Atlanta and Nigeria. This is not going to be limited to anything. When you have creative people who can figure out melodies, beats, rhythms and songs, whether it's country, trap, hip-hop, Latin music, none of it is off limits. I think we see it as world music. I think Davido is a global superstar. It will sell out Madison Square Garden like it sells out London, like it sells out buildings in Africa. That should do. He wants to make world music, so we're looking for artists who have that potential and aren't limited to genre. Limited to great music.