Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola, popularly known as DJ Cuppy (born 11th November 1992, Age; 31 years old) is an international disc jockey, record producer, and singer of Nigerian origin. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, DJ Cuppy rose to prominence in 2014 and has continued to dominate the music industry with her djing skills.
She is the daughter of billionaire, oil business tycoon, and philanthropist Femi Otedola. Since coming into the Nigerian music scene, DJ Cuppy has been one of the most hardworking females in the industry. It is very clear that she is not reliant on her family wealth as she looks to build her own empire.
Profile Summary of DJ Cuppy
- Full Name: Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola
- Date of Birth: 11th November 1992
- Age: 31 years old
- Place of Birth: Lagos State, Nigeria
- Nationality: Nigerian
- State of Origin: Lagos State
- Education: Grange School, Ikeja; King’s College, London; and New York University
- Occupation: Disc Jockey, Record Producer, and Singer
- Marital Status: Single
DJ Cuppy is From Lagos State, Nigeria
DJ Cuppy was born to Femi Otedola and his wife, Nana Otedola, on the 11th of November 1992, in Lagos State, Nigeria. She is the second child of four children born to her parents. Her other siblings are Tolani Olawunmi Christie, Prince Fewa, and Temi Otedola. She lived with her family in Ilipeju for six years before they relocated to Ikeja, where she had her early education.
The stage name Cuppy came out of her love for cupcakes, red velvet to be precise. Her record label is aptly named Red Velvet music group.
She Studied in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, and the United States
DJ Cuppy completed her elementary education in Lagos before moving to the UK. She attended Grange School, Ikeja. When she was 13 years old, she and her family moved to the United Kingdom where she sat for her GSCEs and A’ levels. She went ahead to study Business and Economics at the fourth oldest higher institution of learning in the United Kingdom, Kings College London. She graduated from the university in 2014.
During her college years, Cuppy became known for her DJing skills and was sought after to perform at clubs and event places in London. What first started as a hobby when she was going to school, has now grown to be a full-blown career for the billionaire heiress. This led her to try to master the business side of the music industry by enrolling for a master’s degree in Music Business at New York University, USA. She then interned at Jay-Z’s Roc Nation headquarters where she got first-hand experience on how the international music industry works.
More so, in October 2021, the singer revealed that she is back to school for her third degree. She enrolled and has resumed classes at the University of Oxford, England. In the post, she informed her fans that she would not be active on social media for the period of her studies, and she also quit drinking to concentrate on her studies. However, the course she is studying is not yet revealed to the public. Just like she did at King’s College, she will combine her studies with her DJ career, launch her jewelry brand and work on her new music.
DJ Cuppy is the Second Daughter of Femi Otedola
Cuppy is the second daughter of her father and the first daughter of her mother. Femi, her father, had a child, Tolani, with his former lover Olayinka Odukoya before getting married to Nana, Cuppy’s mother. She has a younger sister, Elizabeth Temi Otedola, and a brother Fewa Otedola. Her mother resides in London, and together, her parents have been supportive in her choice of career from the start.
DJ Cuppy comes from a very wealthy family. She is the granddaughter of former Lagos State governor, Sir Michael Otedola. Her father is a billionaire businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, who is also the former chairman of Forte Oil PLC, an importer of fuel products in Nigeria. Her mother, Nana Otedola, on the other hand, is the Managing Director of Garment Care. His influence as a table businessman has contributed to some of Cuppy’s government appointments and DJ jobs.
Tolani Christy Otedola Olawunmi
Tolani Christy Otedola Olawunmi is a singer. She was born on 21st April 1986 and is six years older than Cuppy. Tolani is doing well for herself as a singer. She started singing in 2017, three years after her younger sister joined the industry as a DJ. Just like her sister, she had her education both in Nigeria and in the United Kingdom.
Elizabeth Temiloluwa Otedola
Elizabeth Temiloluwa Otedola is the third daughter of the family. She is a Nigerian blogger and actress famous for her role Moermi Oluwa in the 2020 movie Citation directed by Kunle Afolayan. Temi was born on 20th April 1996 and is four years younger than DJ Cuppy. She also studied in London like her sisters and is successful in her career path.
Fewa Otedola
Fewa Otedola is the only son of the billionaire businessman and the last child of the family. He was born on 2nd June 2000 and is eight years younger than Cuppy. He suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder, making him one of the famous people who suffer from the disorder. He is well taken care of and receives all the love he needs from his parents and siblings.
DJ Cuppy Has Her Hands In Three Different But Related Career Paths
The young celebrity has three different career paths she is on. The love she has for one led to love for the others since they are all related. As we have mentioned, one of her career paths is a disc jockey. The exposure she got with this career led to her developing love for singing and record production. Let’s explore these career paths to see when she started them and how successful she is in each one.
She Has a Career in Disc Jockey
This is the career she started as a hobby while still in college. In 2014, she launched her mixtape which was titled House of Cuppy. The mixtape featured both Afrobeats influenced songs as well as House-type music. Artists like Tiwa Savage, Kcee, Naeto C, Dr. Sid, Alexandra Burke, Chidinma, Wizkid, Illbliss, and Suspect were featured on it. The mixtape was launched in grand style, first in Lagos at an invitation-only event on Victoria Island, and then an even grander launch in London with a French theme that saw attendees dressed in outfits from the classical era. The London launch was also in celebration of her graduation from College. On 2nd September 2014, she launched it in New York.
She then released EDM-Esgue remixes of some songs by the notable Afropop artists. The following year, DJ Cuppy launched her second mixtape which was titled House of Cuppy 2. Like the first one, this one also had a star-studded launch in Lagos and featured songs by Olamide, Seyi Shay, AKA, P-Square, Yemi Alade, and others.
The mixtape was followed up with her first tour called “The Cuppy Takes Africa Tour”. She toured eight African cities which were later documented in an 8-episode documentary series viewed on Fox Life Africa. The tour, which was sponsored by GTBank and Dangote Foundation, included charity projects, performances, and major artist collaborations. The countries she visited during the tour are South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ghana, and Uganda.
DJ Cuppy’s Performances as a DJ
DJ Cuppy has performed for diverse crowds both internationally and locally. Some of the stages she has performed on include:
- The Financial Times Luxury Summit in Mexico City where the 15 emerging economies, Nigeria being one of them, were discussed.
- 2015 Oil Barrons Charity in Dubai.
- Tattlers and Christie’s Art ball in London.
- MTV Africa Award – MAMA. She is the award’s resident DJ.
- SXSW festival in Texas.
- Uncommon Sense with Charlamagne on MTV 2.
- President Muhammad Buhari’s inauguration in 2015 where she was the official ceremony DJ.
DJ Cuppy’s Second Career is in Singing
In 2017, Cuppy made her singing debut with her first official song titled “Green Light” featuring Tekno. She released her second single titled “Vybe” featuring Sarkodie on 30th March 2018. She also released an album Original Copy.
List of Albums and Songs She has released till Date
The record producer has an album titled Original Copy and a good number of singles. Some of her songs include the following.
- Green Light ft. Tekno – 2017
- Werk ft. Skuki – 2018
- Vybe ft. Sarkodie – 2018
- Charged Up DJ Cuppy and Masterkraft – 2018
- Currency ft. L.A.X – 2018
- Abena ft. Shaydee, Kwesi Arthur, and Milli – 2019
- Jollof on the Jet ft. Rema and Rayvanny – 2020
- Fkn Around ft. Megan Thee Stallion – 2020
- Gelato ft. Zlatan Ibile – 2019
Cuppy is Also a Record Producer
In addition to her music and DJ careers, she is a music producer. Cuppy owns a record label called Red Velvet Music Group (RVMG), a music production and management company. The company was founded in 2013 and later launched on the occasion of DJ Cuppy’s 21st birthday and graduation ceremony held in London in 2014. She wants to use the record label to bridge the gap between Africa and the western world. For her to achieve this, she opened branches of the company in Lagos, Los Angeles, New York, and London.
She produced Vibe and The Way I Am which were on the Young Paris Afrobeats EP that debuted on 24th March 2017. The company saw the production of Cuppy’s Abena, Green Light, and other songs from other artists. Included in the list of its clients are Maxwell, who is a music producer based in London, Cuppy herself, and her sister JTO who is a fashion blogger.
DJ Cuppy Has A Few Awards and Recognitions To Her Name
Due to her status and achievements at her age, DJ Cuppy has been recognized and given several positions in the country. She has also won some awards for herself. Below is a list of some of her recognitions, nominations, and awards.
- In 2014, DJ Cuppy was branded a Nigerian tourism ambassador by the Nigerian Minister of Culture and Tourism as part of the “Fascinating Nigeria” initiative, a brand created to boost the tourism sector in Nigeria.
- Cuppy, as well as her younger sister Temi, were featured in a British Documentary titled Lagos To London: Britain’s New Super Rich. The documentary showed the expensive lifestyle and taste of both sisters and their journey to live outside their dad’s shadow.
- She featured in the 2015 edition of Forbes Woman Africa Magazine
- DJ Cuppy was featured on the cover in January 2015 The Guardian Life Magazine
- In 2015, she won the Nigerian entertainment award for Best female DJ.
- She was featured on the cover page on the 10th June 2019 Glitz Africa
Cuppy’s Endorsements
- On 20th March 2018, she became one of Pepsi’s DJ ambassadors
- Samsung made her its ambassador in 2019
- Global Citizen Education made her ambassador on 5th June 2018
- She signed an endorsement deal with Tiger beer as its ambassador on 12th June 2019
- DJ Cuppy is an ambassador to Sve Children UK
- She announced her partnership with Maybelline as an “IT GIRL” on 11th March 2019. This, she signed because of her intentions to use the role to touch lives, empower women, and drive inclusiveness while projecting Africa to the world.
Beyond Her Career, She is a Philanthropist
DJ Cuppy is a philanthropist. She gives back to society in her ways, one of which is through the Cuppy Foundation. This foundation was launched in July 2018. In a Gold Gala put together by the foundation in 2019, it raised over N5 billion for Save the Children Initiative. This fundraising got donations from Femi Otedola and Nigerian billionaire businessman Dangote.
DJ Cuppy Has Courted Some Controversies Over the Years
It is normal for celebrities to court controversies due to their status in society. Fans, friends, and foes look out for them and make them their topic of discussion. Some celebrities do their best to stay away from anything that will make them the topic of discussion. Others like DJ Cuppy, however, enjoy being talked about and so give them something to talk about. Below are some of her controversies and how they were eventually resolved.
Controversy with Zlatan Ibile
There were claims in January 2020 that the DJ played foul with singer Zlatan after they collaborated in the 2019 song “Gelato”. The controversy was centered on multiple debt allegations. In January, she revealed that Zlatan blocked her on both WhatsApp and Instagram for over 10 months. When asked why he blocked her on WhatsApp, Zlatan claimed that he does not know who Cuppy was. Also, Israel DMW, Davido’s Logistics Manager, took to social media to reveal what happened between the two artists. He said that Cuppy did not pay any money to Zlatan after the music collaboration and that she didn’t sponsor his trip to Abuja during her fundraising. This allegation led to the surfacing of other people on social media who claims DJ Cuppy owes them money.
In her response to these allegations, DJ Cuppy took to her social media account and wrote that she has learned to kill them with kindness and rise above the noise “Super Story #FreeCuppy”. As the controversy was dying down, she took to her Twitter page again to state that she did not breach any contract agreement. She then made it a court case by suing Israel for litigation and defamation.
Israel later posted an apology post on his page. He released a video publicly apologizing to Cuppy for defamation and libel. He also promised never to be involved in any of such crimes against her in the future. Following this apology, DJ Cuppy made another post on her Twitter page on Friday 19th March 2021 concerning the case. She dropped all charges against him because of his apology.
DJ Cuppy Exposes Her Breast While Showing-off Her Necklace
DJ Cuppy was involved in a controversy concerning one of her posts on Twitter. She posted a picture to show off her holy cross necklace, coincidentally, her breast was also showing. Fans reacted to the post with comments like, whether she is showing off her breasts or the necklace. There’s no reaction from Cuppy on these comments.
Controversy About Replacing DJ Cuppy with DJ Switch as Pepsi Ambassador
Following her appointment as Pepsi ambassador, some Twitter users called for her to be changed and replaced with DJ Switch. DJ Switch rendered a splendid performance in the 2020 BBNaija reality show and was praised by many people on social media. Some Twitter users now demanded that Pepsi should replace Cuppy with Switch.
In her response to such a request, Cuppy said that such a thing can never happen because she is dearly loved by Pepsi. She corrected them by saying that she cannot be replaced but Pepsi should add more females, eventually Switch may be signed as well.
Relationship Controversies
Cuppy has been in a couple of high-profile relationships. She has been romantically linked with talent manager Asa Asika, and the Nigerian international footballer Victor Anichebe. She has also been rumored to be in relationships with celebrities like Broda Shaggi, Fireboy, Anthony Joshua, Ice Prince, Korede Bello, Sean Tizzle, and Olamide. Below are the details of some of the relationships she has been linked to and her stand on each of them.
Asa Asika
Asa Asika and DJ Cuppy met through a friend and they built a relationship after their meeting. She revealed how long she has been dating Asa in a post on Instagram. The on and off relationship started back in 2011 and they were lovebirds until their break-up.
There was controversy in 2018, DJ Cuppy agreed that she messed up the relationship with Asa Asika, Davido’s manager. After the break-up, Asika posted on Twitter that he bought Cuppy four iPhones without buying any for himself. In a response to that claim, Cuppy said that she begged for an iPhone but he refused to buy it for her.
Fireboy
On 14th February 2021, pictures of Fireboy DML and Cuppy got fans thinking they are in a relationship. DJ Cuppy shared these loved-up pictures on her Twitter in the spirit of Valentine’s day celebration. In some of these pictures, they posed like lovers, one in a night robe in a bedroom. Fans to both celebrities speculated that something was going on between them. Others say it was a photoshoot from their last music collaboration Feel Good.
Broda Shaggi
There were also rumors that the billionaire heiress was dating Broda Shaggi. Broda Shaggi and Cuppy were reported to be in a secret relationship. A fan asked her the truth about the relationship and she cleared the air on that. DJ reacted by saying that she never dated the comedian. However, she stressed that they are only good friends, and she has a lot of respect for him.
Anthony Joshua
About the relationship between Cuppy and the British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua, DJ Cuppy thinks he would make a great husband. The two have had some sweet moments together, exchanged gifts, and are enjoying their relationship. When fans noticed their closeness, they started speculating that there is something intimate going on between them. When asked whether she would marry AJ, she said that their relationship is only on a friendship level. She declared her openness to a relationship if he would want one with her.
Victor Anichebe
The billionaire’s daughter was in a relationship with Victor Anichebe. The relationship lasted for a while but they had to end it for certain reasons. The relationship was confirmed to have ended in 2017. Cuppy revealed that she broke up with the Nigerian striker because of time difference and distance, as she lives in London while Victor lives in China. Since they are affected by location and time, they both resolved to be friendly exes. According to her story, it was indeed difficult for them but they had to part ways and remain good friends.
Who is DJ Cuppy Dating Now?
DJ Cuppy is very much single. In a video, she posted on her Instagram page captioned “I’ve concluded that the reason I’m single is that I’m way TOO SEXY”, she made it known to the public the reason why she is still single. In the video, she was dancing to the song “Way Too Sexy” by drake, when she revealed that she is still single because she is “way too sexy”.
In October 2021, she revealed that she is focusing on her studies and her career and businesses, as she is going back to school. The celebrity is continuing her studies at the University of Oxford, England.