Banker-Turned-Afrobeats Star Exposes the Dark Side of Fame — Mayorkun
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Mayorkun was two months from being homeless when Mama dropped. The first check from that song went straight to rent. A year earlier he was in a bank's marketing department, opening accounts. He posted a short piano cover only because his phone was out of storage and he planned to delete it. Davido saw it and sent a DM: send me your number. Then two weeks of silence. The message that changed his life landed on WhatsApp as he walked back to his seat after leading praise and worship in church: pack your load and come. Ten years later, Mayorkun is the Mayor of Lagos. Albums including The Mayor of Lagos and Back in Office, hits from Eleko and Mama to Of Lagos and Betty Butter, and B4 B4 with Davido and FOLA on Davido's 2026 album Oriadé. In this episode we get into the lawyer Davido paid for so Mayorkun wouldn't sign his deal blind, why blowing up is "light work" compared to staying, the 2 years he stopped writing clever lyrics because it felt like no one was listening, why he says most streaming numbers are doctored, the bank that later paid him more for one show than he'd have earned there in 5 years, and the 18 hours he lasted in London before wanting to come home. Become a Member of The Room (Afropolitan Private Membership) Join our private community for deeper insights and exclusive content: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast EPISODE SPONSORS Zobo Money — Zobo is a money transfer app built for Africans in the diaspora. It lets you send money from the US, UK, and Europe to countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, and more. https://www.zobo.money/afropolitan BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get a $10 bonus when you sign up, complete your KYC, and send $50 or more to Africa. Hisa — Hisa is an all-investments platform that lets you invest in Nigerian stocks, US stocks and ETFs from one app. https://invite.hisa.co/7fkf/AFROPOLITAN BONUS OFFER: Use code AFROPOLITAN and get your first two trades commission-free. CONVO BY AFROPOLITAN Book 1:1 calls with Africa's boldest thinkers: https://convo.vip/ WHERE TO FIND MAYORKUN Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iammayorkun X/Twitter: https://x.com/Mayorkun Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/mayorkunn Website: https://www.mayorkun.com AFROPOLITAN Twitter/X: https://x.com/afropolitan Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afropolitanpodcast Newsletter: https://www.afropolitan.io/newsletter Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/Afropolitanpodcast TIMESTAMPS 0:00 "I was two months to be homeless" 1:41 The biggest myth about staying relevant 3:08 "I'm not cosplaying any madness for clicks" 3:49 Why he never plans a song before the studio 5:48 The girl who heard his song 30 times before release 6:36 Eleko did 1 million views in 7 days. The party didn't know it 8:04 Staying is harder than blowing up 8:56 Is Afrobeats going through a weird time? 11:57 Giving away songs that didn't sound like him anymore 13:33 The hits he wrote for others and won't name 14:19 The most expensive part of his career 16:56 Davido made him get a lawyer and paid for it 17:46 Long-term business with long-term people 20:59 Join The Room on Patreon 21:50 Sponsor: Zobo Money 22:35 Sponsor: Hisa 23:42 Learning about riders the hard way 25:58 What it costs a new artist to get a chance now 27:17 A million eyes and the low phase he climbed out of 28:45 The 2 years he stopped writing clever lyrics 30:52 PR budgets that could shoot 5 videos 32:22 Standing on his own after Davido 34:22 Two months from homeless when Mama dropped 36:01 Why he hid his mum's identity at university 37:28 Leaving the bank: "Can't you do it part-time?" 39:32 The video he almost deleted to free up storage 40:20 Davido's DM at his boss's desk 41:57 The WhatsApp message after praise and worship 43:59 The day the bank paid him to perform 45:48 Of Lagos: insulted overnight, number one by morning 46:37 Would Mayorkun ever japa? 49:29 2020: five hits in five different lanes 53:14 "You can't be mysterious" anymore 54:31 Why he prefers the pre-streaming days 55:32 The hood test for a real number one song 56:11 The Snapchat money he was late to 57:49 Making B4 B4 at 1 a.m. 1:00:41 "Nobody knows the hits" 1:03:21 Touring the UK and US vs performing at home 1:06:36 Rapid fire 1:08:59 The version of him still at the bank 1:09:44 What to ask before signing to a big label 1:10:17 Fame is the most overrated part of success 1:12:30 Who should be in this chair next 1:13:05 The Sony deal
