Nothing Comes Easy When You Are Young Black Female DJ – DJ Cuppy

DJ Cuppy has said that it is difficult to make it as a black female Disc Jockey.

“I definitely always felt like a true creative. Growing up in Lagos, one of the most colorful, cultural and dynamic environments in the world, really inspired me to express myself in different ways. There’s a lot of male dominants [in the Nigerian industry], and a lot of quantity over quality. So it’s hard to push through as a female DJ. We also come from a society that is quite ageist, so being young and DJing as a teenager, a lot of doors were closed. But through hard-work, passion and determination, here I am today proudly dominating as one of not only the country’s, but the continent’s leading female DJs.”

“Fame has been interesting. I have never considered myself someone that cares about it. I feel like it’s a byproduct of being talented and in the public eye. I have grown up under the shadow of a successful father, so I always had a certain amount of pressure and attention on me. That definitely has helped me cope well. But yes, it is weird when I am in traffic in Lagos and I see myself on a billboard or I walk into a coffee shop and they are playing my song. It is always very exciting. Life in Lagos is very different from everywhere else — Lagos is so big yet so small. It’s nice feeling that African warmth.”

“When we look at moments in my life and landmarks as far as where deejaying has taken me, winning New York University’s 2017 Alumni Artistic Achievement Award is a moment I will never forget. There is nothing better than your passion, something I would do anyway, becoming a skill, profession, and reason to be awarded for. It was a beautiful moment.”

“Yes, nothing comes easy when you are a young, Black female DJ from the African continent. I have learned to use my uniqueness as my strength, and I think it is fantastic how suddenly the world seems to be celebrating uniqueness and diversity. There will be prejudice and assumptions made, but I always let my work speak for itself.”