The pragmatics of celebrity fan wars: A case study of Wizkid and Davido fans on X

Authors

  • David Oluwatobi Esuola University of Ibadan, NIGERIA
  • Tayo Adebayo Osun State University, Osogbo, NIGERIA
  • Temitope Michael Ajayi University of Ibadan, NIGERIA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6607-9418

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58881/jlps.v4i3.143

Keywords:

Celebrity rivalry, Wizkid and Davido, Hip Hop, Fandom, Nigerian artiste

Abstract

Celebrity rivalry refers to a situation in which two or more well-known public figures, typically from the entertainment, sports, or fashion industries, are perceived to be in conflict or competition with one another. Even though scholars have explored the celebrity rivalry between Wizkid and Davido, studies on the rivalry among their fans remain underexplored. Thus, from a qualitative research perspective, this study is a pragma-discursive analysis of the online interactions between the fans of Wizkid known as (FC) and fans of Davido known as (30BG). The data were examined using Henry Jenkins (1992) Fandom theory. Findings show that fans of both artists deploy impoliteness to foreground their celebrity’s industry, how their fans project the industry’s success over the other artist and financial supremacy over the other celebrity, and how their favorite celebrity is projected as richer than the other celebrity. Further studies can be done on comparing artists of different countries.

Author Biographies

David Oluwatobi Esuola, University of Ibadan, NIGERIA

 

 

Tayo Adebayo, Osun State University, Osogbo, NIGERIA

Tayo Adebayo is a doctoral student in the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria and an assistant lecturer in the department of Linguistics at the Osun State University, Osogbo

     

Temitope Michael Ajayi, University of Ibadan, NIGERIA

 

         

References

Abercrombie, N., & Longhurst, B. (1998). Audiences: A sociological theory of performance and imagination. Sage. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446222331

Adedeji, W. (2016). The Nigerian hip-hop scene: Language, identity and power. African Music Journal, 10(1), 52–69.

Aporbo, R. (2023). Sociopragmatic Analysis of Filipino Celebrities’ Posts and Fans’ Comments. World Journal of English Language. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n5p544. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n5p544

Baym, N. K. (2018). Playing to the crowd: Musicians, audiences, and the intimate work of connection. NYU Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste. Harvard University Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1993). The field of cultural production: Essays on art and literature. Columbia University Press.

Couldry, N. (2003). Media rituals: A critical approach. Routledge.

Duffett, M. (2013). Understanding fandom: An introduction to the study of media fan culture. Bloomsbury. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9781501388354

Forman, M. (2002). The 'hood comes first: Race, space, and place in rap and hip-hop. Wesleyan University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/book.126390

Gray, J. (2003). New audiences, new textualities: Anti-fans and non-fans. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 6(1), 64–81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877903006001004

Gray, J., Sandvoss, C., & Harrington, C. L. (Eds.). (2007). Fandom: Identities and communities in a mediated world. New York University Press.

Guo, Q. (2025). Intentional echo chamber management: Chinese celebrity fans’ information-seeking and sense-making practices on social media. Journal of Documentation. https://doi.org/10.1108/jd-09-2024-0211. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-09-2024-0211

Hills, M. (2002). Fan cultures. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203361337

Inya, O. (2021). “Egungun be careful, na Express you dey go”: Socialising a newcomer-celebrity and co-constructing relational connection on Twitter Nigeria. Journal of Pragmatics, 184, 140-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2021.08.005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2021.08.005

Jenkins, H. (1992). Textual poachers: Television fans and participatory culture. Routledge.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Fans, bloggers, and gamers: Exploring participatory culture. NYU Press.

Jenkins, H. (2013). Textual poachers: Television fans and participatory culture (Updated ed.). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203114339

Jesica, K., & Utami, L. (2025). Bergelut di Dunia Fanwar: Komunikasi Kelompok Penggemar K-Pop EXO-L dan ARMY di Twitter. Koneksi. https://doi.org/10.24912/kn.v9i1.27816. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24912/kn.v9i1.27816

Jones, C. (2011). Rap rivalries and the construction of masculinity. Popular Music and Society, 34(3), 289–308.

Kitwana, B. (2005). Why white kids love hip-hop. Basic Civitas Books.

Marshall, P. D. (1997). Celebrity and power: Fame in contemporary culture. University of Minnesota Press.

Marshall, P. D. (2014). Celebrity and power: Fame in contemporary culture (2nd ed.). University of Minnesota Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5749/minnesota/9780816695621.001.0001

McLeod, K. (1999). Authenticity within hip-hop and other cultures threatened with assimilation. Journal of Communication, 49(4), 134–150. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1999.tb02821.x

Nwachukwu, F. C. (2018). The dynamics of celebrity rivalry in Nigerian popular music. Journal of African Media Studies, 10(3), 381–397.

Ogunyemi, D. (2016). Celebrity culture and the Nigerian media: The politics of supremacy and scandal. African Communication Research, 9(1), 55–76.

Okeibunor, N., & Aniehie, M. (2025). Celebrity Public Relations: Managing the Image and Reputation of David Adeleke (Davido). International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science. https://doi.org/10.47772/ijriss.2025.90300167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.90300167

Oloruntoba-Oju, T., & Falola, T. (2018). Yoruba culture and the politics of identity in Nigerian music. Spectrum Books.

Omoniyi, T. (2009). So I choose to do am Naija style: Hip-hop, language, and postcolonial identities. World Englishes, 28(3), 398–411.

Quinn, E. (2005). Nuthin' but a "G" thang: The culture and commerce of gangsta rap. Columbia University Press.

Rojek, C. (2001). Celebrity. Reaktion Books.

Rose, T. (1994). Black noise: Rap music and black culture in contemporary America. Wesleyan University Press.

Sandvoss, C. (2005). Fans: The mirror of consumption. Polity Press.

Scott, G., Brodie, Z., Wilson, M., Ivory, L., Hand, C., & Sereno, S. (2020). Celebrity abuse on Twitter: The impact of tweet valence, volume of abuse, and dark triad personality factors on victim blaming and perceptions of severity. Comput. Hum. Behav., 103, 109-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.09.020. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.09.020

Turner, G. (2014). Understanding celebrity (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473957855

Published

2025-12-05

How to Cite

Esuola, D. O., Adebayo, T., & Ajayi, T. M. (2025). The pragmatics of celebrity fan wars: A case study of Wizkid and Davido fans on X. Journal of Language and Pragmatics Studies, 4(3), 162–175. https://doi.org/10.58881/jlps.v4i3.143

Issue

Section

Articles