Now based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Okonkwo has launched Inside Afrobeats in partnership with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The four-part audio series, airing across CBC Radio stations in Edmonton, Vancouver, and Newfoundland, explores the roots, rise, and global impact of Afrobeats—Nigeria’s most influential cultural export in recent years.
While JJ ‘Dejocular’ is new to Canada, he’s no stranger to the media and entertainment world. With nearly 20 years of experience across major Nigerian platforms like Cool FM and News Central TV, he has long been a voice in promoting African music and storytelling. His journey began in Lagos, nurtured by a musically inclined family, where early exposure to vinyl records and cassette tapes sparked a lifelong passion.
“From my father’s record collection to my brother’s cassette tapes, I developed a deep love for rhythm and lyrics,” he recalled.
The idea for Inside Afrobeats was born shortly after his move to Canada in 2023, when he noticed a glaring absence of African sounds on local radio stations. Despite Canada’s multicultural identity, its music programming largely favored mainstream Western genres, leaving little space for the pulsating rhythms and layered storytelling of Afrobeats.
“I felt disconnected. It did not reflect the multicultural reality of Canadian society, and that, to me, was a gap,” Okonkwo said.
Through Inside Afrobeats, Okonkwo aims to bridge that gap by not only playing the music but also unpacking its cultural significance. The series features conversations, history, and insights into how Afrobeats has evolved from its roots in West Africa to become a global phenomenon influencing artists worldwide.
“The goal is to amplify Afrobeats. It is about the sound, the stories, the culture, and ensuring that African voices are part of the national conversation in music and media,” he explained.
To Okonkwo, Afrobeats is far more than a sound—it’s a cultural identity. “It blends with any genre while remaining proudly African. The beats bring joy, but it’s the storytelling, the proverbs, and the punchy lyrics that make it truly unique,” he said.
The Inside Afrobeats series is available online at cbc.ca/insideafrobeats, allowing a broader Canadian audience to connect with a genre that continues to gain international acclaim.
With this project, JJ ‘Dejocular’ Okonkwo not only cements his role as a cultural bridge but also reaffirms Afrobeats as a powerful medium for global storytelling, unity, and celebration of African excellence.