A simple and spontaneous light-hearted father-daughter banter between billionaire Femi Otedola and his entertainment-sensation daughter, DJ Cuppy, has spurned a social movement, an urban refrain and a song that is fast becoming a mainstream hit.
While on holiday last July, billionaire Otedola and daughters stopped by in Italy for some Gelato, the video of which DJ Cuppy excitedly posted online and bang!, it went viral, spurning countless rehashes, memes and skits by established stars and social media influencers and users.
Weeks later, DJ Cuppy teamed up with rave-of-the-moment street hop star, Zlatan, of the Zanku fame, to collaborate on a new song fittingly titled ‘Gelato’.
Since its release, Gelato has become a bona fide fan favourite while enjoying intense streaming and downloads on music-streaming websites like Spotify, Tidal, Boomplay, Soundcloud and MTN Music among others.
Conversely, Gelato has become a daily trending topic on social media with many users commending the young lady for constantly reinventing herself and proving to critics that there is more to her and her artistry than her father’s billions.
Thanks to the immediate success of Gelato, there is a consensus that despite its fun theme, it is a catchy, feel-good song, skilfully dolloped with Zlatan’s indigenous, fast-paced rap form; is far better than it needs to be, considering what it is – a song retro-built from a parody; and further proves that Cuppy is both creative and proactive, a technical talent that does not lose sight of a song’s broader mechanics or of its imperative to be fun.
Starting out as a Deejay, a female in a male-dominated sector where talents abound and the competition is cutthroat, DJ Cuppy, whose real name is Florence, has proven that the sun does not have to go down for her moon to shine. While her stock keeps rising at home, Cuppy has been flown to every part of the world for performances.
Those who have seen the Law graduate of Kings College, London, at work say her strength lies in her clinical understanding of her crowd and ability to play the music that suits them at every point in time.
With a slew of hits in her growing repertoire already, especially the monstrous hit, Green Light featuring Tekno, Gelato has thrown DJ Cuppy back into the cultural conversation and further earmarked her as one of the new generation singers whose songs always find their ways to the top of the chart without aggressive push, a fairly rare accomplishment in a constantly evolving industry.