From Wizkid to DaVido to Tiwa Savage, the explosive meteoric rise of Afrobeats and its influence is something that cannot be contested. Everyone from Drake to Ed Sheeran to Omarion, Wale, and Rihanna have been intermixing some form of Afrobeats into their sound. Historically, African music has always had a large international audience but this movement is different. Fela Kuti, Lucky Dube, Koffi Olomide and Tshala Muana are artists who all achieved massive international success but a new wave of African music is becoming part of a much wider audience outside of the overseas market. Popular, London-based Nigerian-born Deejay, DJ Cuppy has been on the forefront of pushing Afrobeats into the mainstream through her eclectic mixes. Cuppy is making sure “neo Afrobeats” is here to stay and rise onto the charts.
"I call my genre ‘Neo-Afrobeats’. This is best described as a fusion between urban sounds and Afro-beats," shared Cuppy. “Being born and growing up in Lagos absolutely shaped my creative side; in a city whereby vibrant color and culture is everywhere, you cannot avoid the arts as a way to express yourself."
For the past few years, Cuppy has distinguished herself as one of the most highly requested International DJs. She is known for her ability to seamlessly fuse commercial hits with innovative international remixes connecting to diverse audiences. It was in 2014, that Cuppy pioneered the sound that she dubbed “Neo-Afrobeats” -an electric blend of Tropical House and Afrobeats music. Since then she has served audiences with dope Afro-mixed releases of popular R and B, House and Hip Hop hits. This summer, Cuppy owned the London party scene with her sold out “Cactus on the Roof” series curated with popular luxury lifestyle entrepreneur, Ike Le Starr. Held in South Place Hotel, Cactus brought together the most stylish revelers that the city had to offer and an eclectic mix of celebrities and who’s who of London.
"Cactus on the Roof has grown to be a unique party experience during a time when people are tired of the norm, which is exactly what we wanted! Our quest was to provide people with a place on a Sunday that made them feel like they were not in central London but inside a tropical oasis. It's like Ibiza meets Africa. We want to take this to different cities around the world," said Cuppy. Cactus on the Roof will have an encore on July 16th and Cuppy has created a Cactus on the Roof mix for listeners.
Cuppy says that Africa is important to her and she wants to continue to push the culture forward through her music and her upcoming television show “Cuppy Takes Africa’ premiering on the Africa channel on July 11th at 9pm. "I’ve always considered myself as more than a DJ. I view the Cuppy brand as a creative output with entrepreneurial elements. My visions are and have always been beyond music, I want to be an advocate for African women around the world and represent a new wave of tropical sound and vibes."
