Beggie Beggie

"Beggie Beggie" is a song recorded by Nigerian singer-songwriter Ayra Starr featuring CKay, released on 6 August 2021 as part of her debut studio album, 19 & Dangerous. Written by Starr, her brother Oluwadamilare Aderibigbe, and CKay, and produced by Louddaaa, the afropop and R&B ballad depicts a woman pleading for a lover's attention while asserting her self-worth, told from both a female and male perspective.¹ It appears as the seventh track on the standard edition of the album.

The song received positive to mixed reviews from music critics, with descriptions ranging from "melancholy" and "hypnotizing" to "sonically unmemorable." Commercially, it debuted at number 35 on the TurnTable Top 100, peaking at number 26 and spending 12 weeks on the chart.² At the 15th Headies Awards in 2022, it received nominations for Best R&B Single and Best Collaboration.³

The accompanying music video, directed by Director K and released on 27 January 2022, was set against a Nollywood-inspired party backdrop and drew on early 2000s Nigerian fashion and aesthetics. Reception was also positive to mixed, with praise for its concept but criticism that its execution fell short of the song itself.¹

In 2020, Ayra Starr signed a record deal with Mavin Records and began recording material for her debut studio album. The following year, she released her eponymous debut EP, which became a commercial success and paved the way for 19 & Dangerous (2021). The album blended afropop, R&B, trap and alté, and was largely a familial songwriting effort, with Starr and her brother, sometimes credited professionally as Milar, penning most of its tracks. "Beggie Beggie", which they co-wrote with CKay, appears as the seventh track on the album and one of only two collaborations on the standard edition, alongside "Snitch". Starr deliberately sought out CKay as a collaborator, stating she wanted, "like, a male POV on [the] story."⁴ As with much of the album, "Beggie Beggie" was recorded at Mavin Studios, produced by Louddaaa, and mixed and mastered by Johnny Drille.⁵

"Beggie Beggie" is 3 minutes and 29 seconds long. It is a contemporary, afro-pop and R&B ballad driven by a minimalist acoustic guitar riff and a steady, laid-back afro-fusion percussion.⁶⁷ The song is composed in the key of C♯ minor and set in the time signature of common time with a mid-tempo of 100 beats per minute.⁸ It has a chord progression of A–C♯m–B and Starr's vocal range spans from the low note of G♯3 to the high note of C♯5.⁹ A writer of Sounds of Africa noted that it draws on the rhythms of traditional African music.⁷ Its lyrics are in English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin.¹⁰

In contrast, "Beggie Beggie" marked a departure from Starr's earlier anthems of defiance and independence.⁷ In a track-by-track breakdown of 19 & Dangerous, she described the song as thematically similar to another album cut, "Lonely", explaining that both explore the same emotional territory. She said the chorus reflects the humiliation of pleading with a lover, likening it to the desperation of street beggars, while also asserting her self-worth. She further described it as "a from-friends-to-lovers type of story."⁴

"Beggie Beggie" received positive to mixed responses from music critics. Tara Aquino of Rolling Stone described the song as a "melancholy Afropop ballad" driven by themes of longing, adding that it is "emblematic of the rest of the soulfully warm sound" that defines 19 & Dangerous. Aquino also observed that CKay "lends his vocals to balance out her POV."¹¹

The Lagos Review's Aanuoluwa Odole regarded the track as one of the album’s more "hypnotizing" moments.¹² However, Afoma Andrea of IndustryMe was less impressed, writing that despite the chemistry between Starr and CKay, the track was "sonically unmemorable" and failed to reverse what she viewed as a downturn in the project's latter half.¹³

In a 2024 review of The Year I Turned 21, Blossom Maduafokwa of The Native linked "Lagos Love Story" back to "Beggie Beggie", writing that the later track "takes a leaf" from it in its depiction of young Nigerian romance.¹⁴

At the 15th Headies Awards held on 4 September 2022, in Atlanta, Georgia, "Beggie Beggie" received two nominations: Best R&B Single and Best Collaboration.³

The music video was directed by Director K and produced by Prior Gold Pictures in collaboration with Femi Dapson. Cinematography was handled by Muhammad Atta Ahmed, with styling by Pat Ada Eze and cast styling by Uduak. Makeup was provided by Onome Ezekiel, while hair styling was done by 25th Fairy Hair. Wardrobe contributions included pieces from The Eniyan Cluster, Daltimore, and Stomfits.

The video revolves around a woman confronting the collapse of a relationship, tracing her repeated attempts to contact her partner and her reaction after discovering him with other women. Starr said the video was inspired by "old Nollywood," which she viewed as having strongly influenced "Gen-Z fashion and style." She added that the visual was meant to recreate that era, and described "Beggie Beggie" as a story about "a young woman seeing things for what they are."¹⁵

The video opens in an outdoor social setting where a group of young people gather and socialize. An older man dressed in a tan striped traditional outfit is shown interacting closely with a woman in a red dress and blonde afro, counting a stack of cash, handing it to her, touching her face, and kissing her. The video then shifts to Starr, who appears walking through the area with two female companions. Starr, positioned at the center, wears a sequined blue-and-silver butterfly bra top with black ripped jeans and long braids, while her companions wear a zebra-print top with pink lace-up trousers and a yellow-and-black patterned crop top with a denim mini skirt and knee-high yellow boots. As they move through the setting, the trio converse and gesture among themselves, with Starr briefly using a pink flip phone.

In another outdoor moment, the woman in red chit-chats with two companions and flaunts two stacks of cash, one in each hand. The video then moves indoors to a small, warmly lit room with a retro party atmosphere. A DJ in plain red sports jersey and white undershirt is shown operating a turntable, touching the vinyl record to control playback. The room contains a jukebox, a table lined with wine bottles, wall posters, and hanging decorations. Starr and her two companions enter the space and approach the table. Starr picks up a bottle and throws it toward the DJ, who dodges as it strikes the wall and shatters. A woman's hand then adjusts the turntable, changing the music to "Beggie Beggie."

An on-screen title card appears displaying the artist, song title, label, and director credit. Inside the room, Starr is shown attempting to contact someone on her pink flip phone. When the call does not connect, she continues moving through the gathering and observing the activity around her. A man in a red shirt with layered gold chains enters the room accompanied by two women. Starr watches as they move through the space and follows behind them toward a section separated by beaded curtains. In another part of the room, CKay is shown reclining on a couch wearing sunglasses and dreadlocks, surrounded by multiple women. One woman in an animal-print top leans in toward him, holding his face and kissing him. Close-up shots show their interaction as well as details within the room, including patterned flooring.

Starr parts the curtains and enters the adjoining area, where the man in the red shirt is shown holding the two women. She approaches him and pulls him away from them. The video then alternates between performance shots of Starr and CKay. Later, the setting shifts outdoors. Starr appears wearing a red outfit with a matching bandana and layered necklaces. She holds a rope that is looped around the neck of the same man in red and walks forward as he is dragged along the ground behind her. In subsequent shots, Starr sits nearby as he is partially buried in a shallow pit, with his head and arms visible above the surface. She moves around the edge of the pit, gesturing as she confronts him, while he looks upward and responds from inside it.

The official music video for "Beggie Beggie" premiered on YouTube on 27 January 2022. It was preceded by an acoustic performance of the song. Ahead of its release, Funmilayo Kanmodi of NotJustOk wrote that preview images shared by Starr suggested a "daring and unique" concept.¹⁶

The video was met with positive to mixed reception upon release. Zee Ngema from OkayAfrica called it a "passion-driver,"¹⁷ while Afoma Andrea, writing for Mixtape Madness thought it was "stunning."¹⁸ In a review for Afrocritik, Omowale Bokinni described the visual as a depiction of relationship conflict and emotional confrontation, but wrote that it was "less impressive" than the song itself. He commented on elements of the cinematography, including the use of a "shaky cam" technique in the opening scenes and varied camera angles in later sequences. Bokinni also took issue with the portrayal of violence in the storyline, arguing that it appeared insensitive in the context of broader social concerns.¹

Credits are adapted from Spotify.

• Ayra Starr – lead vocals, songwriting
• CKay – featured vocals, songwriting
• Oluwadamilare Aderibigbe – songwriting
• Louddaaa – production
• Johnny Drille – mixing, mastering