The Ladders Podcast, hosted by Dex and powered by Wingstop, recently featured an in-depth conversation with Adesope, a figure widely recognized as the "navigator of the Afrobeats scene" and the "real African CNN". Adesope’s journey began in the conservative, education-focused city of Ibadan, Nigeria, where he grew up in a family of scientists before eventually relocating to London. Despite studying plant science, he was always drawn to entertainment, a passion that manifested early through dancing and MCing in secondary school. His professional break into media was remarkably accidental; while accompanying a friend to a dingy pirate radio station in Peckham, the owner liked his energy and voice enough to offer him a two-hour slot to play African music. This early experience in "Nigerian Power" radio served as the foundation for a career that has spanned over two decades.
A defining moment in his career occurred in 2004 near Canning Town station, at a time when he and his co-presenter were on the verge of quitting due to the difficulty of breaking through. While driving, Adesope happened to tune into a pirate station and heard the UK artist Skepta selecting "Sweet Mother" as a song that defined his childhood. This realization—that African culture was already deeply embedded in the lives of UK-born Africans—provided the necessary motivation for Adesope to continue his mission of promoting the culture. Since then, he has been obsessed with celebrating African entertainers, originally through the platform Factory 78, with the goal of giving the continent’s creativity the main stage it deserves.
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The conversation with Dex also delved into a critical debate regarding modern platforms like Afro Nation. While Dex argued that such festivals often prioritize ticket-selling headliners over supporting up-and-coming talent, Adesope defended the platform’s global impact. He noted that Afro Nation proved to the world that Afrobeats artists could draw tens of thousands of fans to international destinations, subsequently paving the way for official Afrobeats charts in the UK and the US. However, Adesope expressed concern regarding the potential dilution of the "African sound" as artists chase international streams, emphasizing that the authenticity of the sound is what originally brought the genre to global prominence.
Reflecting on his legacy and the concept of "climbing the ladder," Adesope highlighted the importance of ownership and consistency. He transitioned from being a participant in the culture to an owner, launching his own "Energy God" drink brand and entering into a credible partnership with Martell based on cultural empowerment rather than just social media following. Despite his extensive impact and 23 years of service—much of which was done for free while maintaining a full-time local authority job—Adesope maintains that he is only on the "second step" of his journey. He remains focused on expanding the reach of African culture to places like Brazil and the Caribbean, viewing his current success as merely the start of a much larger global movement.
