Apple Music will, on Sunday, launch its first radio show in Africa. DJ Cuppy, whose real name is Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, is its host.
Cuppy has been on the rise in her DJ and music producing career, earning important endorsements. The deal with Apple, which is said to be worth seven-digit figure, is indeed her a crowning endorsement.
The announcement is coming the same week Universal Music Group said it was launching Def Jam Africa, a new division of the label focused on representing hip-hop, Afrobeat and trap talent in Africa.
By this deal, Cuppy, the celebrity DJ daughter of Nigerian billionaire, Femi Otedola, is now the face and voice behind Apple Music’s new radio show called ‘Africa Now’.
The streaming platform announced yesterday that ‘Africa Now Radio with Cuppy’ would feature a mix of contemporary and traditional popular African sounds, including genres such as, amapiano, afrobeats, highlife, alte, house, hip-hop, afrobongo, kuduro and more.
The platform noted that listeners would hear the latest and greatest African artists and new forms of African popular music, which fuse traditional and contemporary sensibilities, morphing into hybridised sonic fragments connecting all corners of Africa.
Cuppy was quoted in the statement released by Apple as saying she is excited about the show: “I’m excited not only to play music but showcase the vast array of talented artists cultivating the music scene on the continent.”
She added, “there are so many rich textures and sounds in Africa and the time is now for the world to embrace our diversity. Each and every week I’ll be bringing a dynamic guide to discovering and celebrating the biggest and best sounds from across Africa. It will be entertainment at its best, Cuppy style!”
According to Cuppy, “the show represents a journey from West to East and North to South, but importantly a narrative of Africa then to Africa now.”
Born in Lagos, she graduated with a degree in economics from King’s College London. She also earned a Music Business Masters Degree from New York University while interning at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation imprint in 2015.
She co-produced songs like ‘Green Light’ with artist and producer Tekno.
In 2018, she collaborated with Kwesi Arthur on ‘Abena’ and the sweet single, Gelato, featuring Zlatan Ibile, was released in 2019.
For the debut episode, Nigerian producer Kiddominant, known for producing hits such as, Davido’s Fall and AKA’s Fela In Versace, joins Cuppy via FaceTime. He will talk about his new single, eWallet, featuring South African superstar rapper Cassper Nyovest.
South African actress and Queen Sono lead character, Pearl Thusi, will also call in to share her favourite African proverb and song.
Cuppy plays the best and hottest African music throughout the show and finishes off with a personalised 10-minute DJ mix of tracks from the Africa Now playlist.
Africa Now Radio with Cuppy airs weekly on Sundays.
Apple Music is a global music platform with 60 million listeners from over 160 countries worldwide and over 30 countries in Africa alone.
