Alum DJ Cuppy Creates Fund for Grad Students

The Cuppy Africa Steinhardt Scholars Fund will help Steinhardt graduate students thrive during their education.

Cuppy speaks in front of a sign that says NYU Steinhardt — *Cuppy at the Cuppy Fund launch event*

Nigerian-born Florence I. Otedola (MA ’16, Music Business)—known to many as internationally acclaimed DJ Cuppy—has made a generous donation to NYU Steinhardt to establish the Cuppy Africa Steinhardt Scholars Fund.

The Cuppy Fund will provide stipends to two students in full-time graduate programs at Steinhardt to meet their unexpected and urgent financial needs. The Fund will offer a preference to students who have previously studied in Africa to reflect Cuppy’s life experience.

“Nigeria is one of the most exciting, vibrant countries in the world, but it’s also a place where education is very much a privilege,” says Cuppy. “In higher education, you realize that everyone is coming from a different life stage, and I want to help people who’ve gotten into NYU stay there. It’s not just about tuition but giving these students the support to live their lives while they get an education.”

After moving from Nigeria to London, DJ Cuppy became a household name, playing top nightclubs and industry events while she was completing her undergraduate degree in economics at King’s College. In 2014, she released a highly successful mixtape, House Of Cuppy, and was appointed as an official Tourism Ambassador by the Honorable Minister of Nigeria. She then moved to New York and began her master of arts in Music Business at NYU Steinhardt to more fully pursue her music career.

A group of people around a sign that says NYU Steinhardt — *Attendees at the Cuppy Fund launch event*

“Once I completed my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to study more, and I decided I wanted to live in New York—where I knew absolutely no one,” says Cuppy. “Steinhardt’s Music Business program is so unique and very intentional. It gave me everything I wanted in just two years, from the in-depth courses at Stern to the real-world experience.”

While at NYU, Cuppy interned at Roc Nation with Jay-Z and was the resident DJ for the MTV2 show “Uncommon Sense.”

“My time at NYU was a real professional stepping stone for me, and I developed as a person as well as a student,” says Cuppy.

Shortly after graduating from NYU, Cuppy was presented with the University’s 2017 Alumni Artistic Achievement Award. She has also released her debut album, Original Copy; been named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list; founded her own label, Red Velvet Music Group; and graduated from Oxford University with her master’s degree in African Studies.

Cuppy and Jack Knott speak — *Cuppy with Dean Jack H. Knott*

“The Cuppy Fund honors Cuppy's background and experience at NYU and will empower future students by helping lower financial barriers to their education and ensuring all students can take full advantage of experiential opportunities that are part of a Steinhardt education,” says Jack H. Knott, Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of NYU Steinhardt.

This gift is one of Cuppy’s many philanthropic initiatives made through the Cuppy Foundation, which she founded in 2018 to empower youth to realize their potential. Education is one of the main thrusts of her support; she recently gave a similar gift to Oxford University.

“For me, charity starts in the heart,” says Cuppy to future potential donors. “Find your own balance and support something you’re passionate about. Charity also starts in your home, so look to your own community to make an impact, whether that’s in your neighborhood, your workplace, or your industry. Consider how you can create an opportunity for the next generation, and try to make something that will last. Quality over quantity.”