Nigeria’s DJ Cuppy to host Apple Music’s first radio show in Africa

Apple Music is launching its first radio show in Africa, with Nigerian-born DJ and music producer Cuppy as the host.

The streaming platform says the show, tagged “Africa Now Radio with Cuppy”, will debut Sunday and will feature a mix of contemporary and traditional popular African sounds, including genres like Afrobeat, rap, house, kuduro and so on.

Cuppy, real name Florence Otedola, will host the weekly one-hour show, which will be available to the over 60 million Apple Music subscribers in 160 countries worldwide at 9 a.m. EDT.

“The show represents a journey from West to East and North to South, but importantly a narrative of Africa then to Africa now,” Cuppy said in a statement. The show will also feature interviews between Cuppy and other African artists.

“I’m excited not only to play music but showcase the vast array of talented artistes cultivating the music scene on the continent,” Cuppy said. “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, the Motherland. It will be entertainment at its best, Cuppy style!”

The daughter of billionaire Femi Otedola, Cuppy was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but moved to London when she was 13. While in school, she fell in love with music and taught herself how to DJ at 16.

Today, she is not only rising in her DJ and music producing career but has also landed some ambassadorial deals with prestigious brands. In 2018, she was announced as the ambassador for Save the Children UK, and last year, she launched her foundation, Cuppy Foundation, an establishment aimed at tackling issues surrounding child protection and education for girls and persons with disabilities.