919 Spotlight: Papi Ojo

DECEMBER 6, 2022

Stephen Ojo also known as Papi Ojo is a Nigerian dancer, musical artist, actor and all round entertainer who when not dancing alongside A-list celebs, can be found making infectious afrobeat hits. Of course a seasoned dancer like him would know exactly what recipes and beats to use in order to create such memorable tunes. From hitting the gwara gwara right next to Rihanna on stage for her iconic performance of “Wild Thoughts” at the 2018 Grammys where she blew up South African twitter after hitting the Gwara Gwara on stage, teaching Janet Jackson the Ghanaian Kupe dance for her “Made For Now” music video and playing the role of the Blue Man in Beyoncé’s Black is King, an attention drawing figure painted in blue that watches over the protagonist of the film as it progresses and dancing alongside Beyoncé in her “Already” music video.

Papi Ojo grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and began his dancing career at church dancing at church anniversaries and naming ceremonies. His family moved to Brooklyn in 2008 and after settling down he started a dance group with his older brother Emmanuel and his best friend Caleb. They called themselves A.V.O Boyz and would watch African dance routines online and rehearse until they were ready to start putting out their own content. After some time they gained a following and live audiences, they would be invited to perform at college shows and fashion shows and sometimes would be the only Afro dancers there. Tragedy struck however in 2016 when his older brother Emmanuel passed away in a drowning incident trying to save Papi Ojo. This led to him putting a pause on dancing for a while but then he decided to carry on the legacy they were trying to create for the Ojo family.

In 2018, while Ojo was studying political science at the City College of New York A.V.O Boyz got their first industry job: to dance alongside Rihanna at the 2018 Grammys. After this he went on to work with Big Sean, Asap Ferg, Teyana Taylor, Janet Jackson and of course Beyoncé. Papi Ojo is definitely a man of influence and has played a huge role in the globalization of African pop culture. In a virtual episode of our Men of Influence series, we were able to talk to Papi Ojo about his journey, the start of A.V.O Boyz, his music career, and the importance of educating not only ourselves but outside bodies in the cultural relevance and impact of African heritage on the culture.