We present to you an insightful journey into the heartbeat of African creativity as we sit down with the creators of the captivating podcast, "Cold Purewater! Cold Mineral!" In this exclusive interview, co-founders Kolapo and Oladapo and Samuel Ugwu share the origins, inspirations, and aspirations that shape their unique perspective on the African creator economy, particularly within the bustling context of Lagos traffic.
Our conversation kicks off with the intriguing story behind the podcast's name, "Cold Purewater! Cold Mineral!" - a familiar cry in the lively streets of Lagos. Kolapo and Samuel explain how this catchy phrase encapsulates the essence of their podcast, exploring conversations about the African creator economy amidst the interesting backdrop of Lagosian traffic. Read on to gain more interesting insights!
The Co-Founders
Kolapo Oladapo and Samuel Ugwu. Co-Founders of COCOA
How did the idea for the podcast "Cold Purewater, Cold Mineral" come about?
"Cold Purewater! Cold Mineral!” is a call made by traffic hawkers in Lagos. It aligns with the theme of the podcast which is “conversations about the African creator economy in traffic”. It’s something every one who is a Lagosian or who has been to Lagos will immediately recognise.
What inspired you to focus specifically on the African music industry within the context of Lagos traffic?
With the growth of Afrobeats as a business, the creator industry and more specifically the music industry in Africa offers a unique opportunity for an alternative entry into the job market for a lot of young African creatives. Africans transcend a lot of learning through conversations, a lot of those conversations in modern-day Lagos happen in traffic either as calls, chats, tweets, comments or a simple conversation with an Uber driver.
Can you share some insights into the challenges and opportunities the African music industry still encounters today?
The challenges and opportunities are plentiful. Closing the knowledge gap is one we are particularly interested in at COCOA; preparing the future workforce of the world for the jobs of the future, one conversation at a time.
The Podcast vibes on set
In what ways do you believe the podcast contributes to the understanding and promotion of African music, and how do you ensure that your content resonates with both local and international audiences?
We think African, in creating for our audience, we encourage the members of our community to use their native tongue in communicating their ideas. We are taking the road less travelled in providing accessible education for Africans wherever they are in their mother tongue and also in English. We hope we can make a significant change in the coming years in providing knowledge across new subject matters beyond music such as Artificial Intelligence.
How do you weave the Lagos vibrant vibes into each episode of the podcast?
We infuse little adlibs on the podcast that remind people of not Lagos but Africa. Lagos as a melting pot serves as a core base for the scenery of the podcast.
Kulupsy (Native Records) and Titilope Adesanya (EMPIRE)
As the creator of "Cold Purewater! Cold Mineral!," what impact do you hope personally to make on the perception of African music globally? Like the big picture or dream.
Ultimately, we hope people who are interested in the job roles behind the music find useful knowledge within our content and conversations that equip them for their future roles whatever that might be.
How do you see the podcast evolving in the future to continue promoting the richness of the African music industry? (future collaboration plans you have for the podcast)
In the future, we plan to create our tools to help creatives get stuff done faster. We will be working with members of our community to make this future possible and to sustain it.
Questions were answered by the co-founders of "Cold Purewater! Cold Mineral!"(Samuel Ugwu and Kolapo Oladapo)
