B4 B4 by Davido, Mayorkun and FOLA — What the Song Really Means

🎵 Quick Summary: “B4 B4” is the seventh track on Davido’s sixth studio album Oriadé, released on 31 July 2026. It features Mayorkun — born Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel, born 23 March 1994 in Lagos — and FOLA — born Folarin Odunlami, born 26 April 1999 in Lagos. In Nigerian Pidgin, B4 B4 (pronounced “before before”) means “in the old days” or “back then” — but in this song, it carries a specific romantic meaning: a love so immediate and complete that it feels like it was destined before before — before they met, before everything else happened. The song debuted at No. 1 on the TurnTable Nigeria Official Top 100 in the week of 10 August 2026 with 6.12 million on-demand streams — Davido’s 13th No. 1 in Nigeria and Mayorkun’s first No. 1 in 5 years and 8 months. It is available to stream free on Audiomack Nigeria.

There are reunion records and then there are records that remind you why the partnership worked in the first place. “B4 B4” is the second kind. Davido and Mayorkun have not released a song together since Mayorkun departed DMW (Davido Music Worldwide) — the label where he built his career — and the question hanging over every Nigerian music fan since then has been the same: will they ever make music together again, and when they do, will it sound like what we remember? The answer, delivered at No. 1 on the TurnTable Nigeria chart with 6.12 million streams in a single week, is yes. Here is what the song means, why the reunion matters, and what FOLA adds to the equation.

B4 B4 — Key Facts

What Does “B4 B4” Mean in Nigerian Pidgin?

In Nigerian Pidgin, B4 B4 — written as the abbreviation of “before before” — is a phrase that means “in the old days,” “back then,” or “a long time ago.” It is used to reference an earlier time, a previous state of things, a moment before the present reality. “B4 B4, things dey different” means “in the old days, things were different.” “B4 B4, we dey do am like this” means “back then, we used to do it this way.”

In the context of this song, B4 B4 carries a specific romantic weight. The three artists — Davido, Mayorkun, and FOLA — are addressing a woman whose effect on them is so immediate and complete that it feels predestined. The love did not begin when they met her. It feels like it was there before before — before the meeting, before they even knew to look for it, before everything else in their lives was arranged. B4 B4 as a romantic declaration is saying: this is not new. This is ancient. I recognise you from somewhere I cannot name. That is an extraordinarily Nigerian way to describe falling in love — grounded not in the freshness of attraction but in the depth of a feeling that seems to predate its own occasion.

Breaking Down the Key Lyrics — What Each Artist Is Saying

Davido’s Verse — The Declaration

Davido — born David Adedeji Adeleke on 21 November 1992 in Atlanta, Georgia, raised in Lagos — opens the song with the direct declaration that defines its emotional register: he sees a woman, and the connection is immediate, total, and unexplainable by anything other than destiny. His delivery is characteristically confident without being boastful — this is not Davido performing attraction. This is Davido genuinely moved. The song celebrates affection but does not hide the normal fears of dating. It tells listeners that it is okay to take a chance on love again. The vulnerability in “taking a chance” is what separates “B4 B4” from a straightforward romance anthem — it acknowledges that the feeling is powerful but that acting on it requires courage.

Mayorkun’s Pre-Chorus — The Confession

Mayorkun’s contribution is the most emotionally candid moment on the track. “Mm, no be lie for you, girl, I been / And I no go with the flow, I no do bestie, yeah / Heavy, heavy, make you put it on me / Your maggi fit to make me naw naw / The way you act dey do me like film.” The “maggi” reference — comparing her cooking or her presence to Maggi seasoning, the Nigerian kitchen staple that makes everything taste better — is the line that every Nigerian will feel immediately. “Your maggi fit to make me naw naw” is not just clever. It is the most Nigerian possible way to say that someone makes everything in your life better simply by being in it. Maggi is not luxury. It is the essential — the thing that turns an ordinary meal into something you want to eat. Telling a woman her presence does for your life what Maggi does for food is, in Nigerian terms, a profound compliment.

“The way you act dey do me like film” — the way she moves and behaves makes him feel like he is watching a film, transfixed, unable to look away. That is attraction described as aesthetic experience: she does not just affect his emotions, she affects his entire perceptual apparatus. Everything slows down when she is in the room.

FOLA’s Verse — The New School Energy

FOLA — born Folarin Odunlami on 26 April 1999 in Lagos, signed to Dangbana Republik and Empire Distribution — brings the youngest energy on the track, a slightly more playful and direct approach to the same feeling Davido and Mayorkun are describing. Davido even called FOLA a new superstar that all the ladies love. His verse adds the generational dimension that makes “B4 B4” feel like a complete picture of Nigerian romantic expression across three different ages and three different stages of artistic confidence: the legend (Davido), the prodigal (Mayorkun), and the rising star (FOLA) all agreeing that this woman is something else entirely.

The Davido-Mayorkun Reunion — Why It Matters

Davido signed Mayorkun to DMW in 2016, after discovering the then-22-year-old banking employee through social media. The label relationship produced some of the biggest Afrobeats records of the 2016–2021 period: “Eleko,” “Che Che,” “Fantasy” featuring Davido, and “Up” among many others. The reunion builds on a creative relationship that began in 2016 when Davido signed Mayorkun to DMW, while FOLA represents a newer generation of Nigerian artists. Mayorkun eventually departed DMW and signed to Sony Music Nigeria — a transition that was handled without public acrimony but that raised the inevitable question: would they make music together again?

“B4 B4” is the answer. And the chart result — No. 1 on TurnTable Nigeria with 6.12 million streams, Mayorkun’s first No. 1 since “Che Che” in December 2020 — validates the reunion completely. For longtime followers of Davido’s catalogue, the reunion with Mayorkun is one of the album’s defining moments. The specific emotional quality they bring out in each other — Davido’s largeness meeting Mayorkun’s intimacy — was always what made their collaborations work. “B4 B4” demonstrates that the quality survived the professional separation intact.

The Chart Story — Records Broken

“B4 B4” debuted at No. 1 on the TurnTable Nigeria Official Top 100 in the week of 10 August 2026 with 6.12 million on-demand streams — the highest debut week streaming total for any Davido single in Nigerian chart history. For Davido, it was his 13th No. 1 on the TurnTable Nigeria chart — extending his own record as the Nigerian artist with the most No. 1 singles in the chart’s history. For Mayorkun, it was his first No. 1 since “Che Che” debuted at the top of the chart in December 2020 — a gap of 5 years and 8 months. The reunion song did not just work creatively. It worked commercially at the highest level either artist had achieved together.

Where to Stream B4 B4 in Nigeria

“B4 B4” by Davido, Mayorkun, and FOLA is available to stream for free in Nigeria on Audiomack — no subscription required. It is also on Spotify Nigeria, Apple Music Nigeria, Boomplay, and YouTube Music. The song is the seventh track on Davido’s album Oriadé, released 31 July 2026, which is available in full across all the same platforms. Search “Davido B4 B4” on any platform to find it immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does B4 B4 mean in Davido’s song?

In Nigerian Pidgin, B4 B4 (pronounced “before before”) means “in the old days” or “back then.” In the context of this song, it carries a romantic meaning: the love the artists feel for the woman they are addressing feels predestined — as if it existed before before, before the meeting, before everything. It is a Nigerian way of saying that the connection feels ancient rather than new — not the freshness of attraction but the recognition of something that was always going to happen.

Who features on Davido’s B4 B4?

“B4 B4” features Mayorkun — born Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel on 23 March 1994 in Lagos — and FOLA — born Folarin Odunlami on 26 April 1999 in Lagos. Mayorkun is a veteran Afrobeats artist who was previously signed to Davido’s DMW label from 2016 to approximately 2021, before signing to Sony Music Nigeria. FOLA is a fast-rising singer signed to Dangbana Republik and Empire Distribution, who previously reached No. 1 in Nigeria with “Paparazzi” featuring Shoday in January 2026.

What album is B4 B4 from?

“B4 B4” is Track 7 of 13 on Oriadé — Davido’s sixth studio album, released on 31 July 2026. The album is available on Audiomack (free), Spotify Nigeria, Apple Music Nigeria, Boomplay, and YouTube Music. NaijaSabi’s full Oriadé album review — covering all 13 tracks — is also available on the site.

Did B4 B4 reach No. 1 in Nigeria?

Yes. “B4 B4” debuted at No. 1 on the TurnTable Nigeria Official Top 100 in the week of 10 August 2026 with 6.12 million on-demand streams — the highest debut week streaming total for any Davido single in Nigerian chart history. It was Davido’s 13th No. 1 on the TurnTable Nigeria chart and Mayorkun’s first No. 1 since “Che Che” in December 2020 — a gap of 5 years and 8 months.

What does “your maggi fit to make me naw naw” mean in B4 B4?

“Your maggi fit to make me naw naw” is Mayorkun’s line from the pre-chorus of “B4 B4.” Maggi is a Nigerian kitchen staple — a seasoning cube that is ubiquitous in Nigerian cooking and widely understood as the ingredient that makes a meal complete. Mayorkun is comparing the woman’s presence to Maggi — she makes everything in his life better simply by being in it. “Naw naw” is Nigerian slang for being intensely affected, overwhelmed, or completely captivated. The full line means: your presence (like Maggi) has the power to overwhelm me completely.

Where can I stream B4 B4 in Nigeria for free?

“B4 B4” by Davido, Mayorkun, and FOLA is available to stream for free in Nigeria on Audiomack — no subscription required. It is also on Spotify Nigeria (₦900/month), Apple Music Nigeria (₦900/month), Boomplay, and YouTube Music. The full Oriadé album, on which “B4 B4” is Track 7, is available across all the same platforms. Search “Davido B4 B4” to find it immediately.

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1. Apple Music Nigeria — B4 B4 song page — music.apple.com — 2026

Last updated: 9 September 2026 · NaijaSabi Entertainment Desk