BET Africa is set for ‘Off the Top’ interview with VJ Adams, where fans can enjoy interesting and unusual interviews with their celebrity icons who have the chance to share intriguing details about themselves. In this interview with The Guardian, the show’s host, VJ Adams, speaks on what viewers should expect among other things.

What was the idea behind ‘Off the Top’?

So Off the Top is a one-on-one interview show I created sometime in 2018 because at the time I had seen a lot of interview shows happen, but I noticed that whenever the guests see the host with a cue card or a teleprompter they become a bit uptight, and I wanted to correct that.

I wanted to find a solution of some sort that was the reason I created the show, hence the title, Off the Top, which is literally me speaking straight from the heart. No cue cards, no teleprompters, absolutely nothing. So it gives the viewers a perception of two friends just chatting, which was what I thought about creating and which I was able to do.

And so this season, debuting on BET Africa is just quite exciting. The cast is a lot. I’m talking about Niniola, Falz, Simi, Kcee, Yemi Alade and the list goes on. So you’re going to be seeing these people in a light you had never seen before. The conversations are exciting and you will hear them say they didn’t want the interviews to end.

What was your experience like recording the first session with all these artists you’ve spoken about?

Did it meet your expectations and what lessons did you have while at it?

The general experience is a rollercoaster ride, I promise you, but it’s a new phase I’m stepping into and that I’ve been stepping into in the last two years, where I’m doubling as not just the host, but also as producer and creator. So that gives me a whole new perspective where I’m sitting in meetings with Paramount on how to make the show better.

So you can imagine the tons of meetings that have to happen to make this come alive properly. That was a new and exciting journey for me, being able to create something and see it come alive on this level. So there’s that part of it, and there’s the part of where I have to step into my full zone as a host.

And just being able to get the perspective of how a Simi, for example, is able to manage her time, being a mother, full performing and recording artists and wife or the humanitarian works Falz does. It is inspiring for me and I was able to see a different perspective to it.

So this is an exciting journey on all fronts, you know, stepping into the shoes of the show creator, producer and host, but also just seeing how detailed the Paramount team is in terms of execution. It was the first time I was interfacing with any company of that level. So it was an exciting journey for me.

Would, the show at some point, extend to upcoming artists in their various fields. Is that in the works, or would it stick to well-known celebrities?

What we try to do is give a balance. That’s why we are having big stars like a Falz, or a Jimmy Jean-Louis and fast rising stars like Bayanni and Magixx in the mix, who are also stars in their own right. So we give them that chance as well, because we see that they are doing remarkable things.

Why was it important for you to create this show where those being interviewed can freely express themselves?

A lot of times, because I have a number of public figures that are my friends, I usually would hear them say things like, I’m not doing an interview abeg. I realised that whenever they got on set, it felt like it was too serious, it feels like they’re under attack versus them going somewhere where they’re literally trying to just have a conversation with a friend and that’s why I created the show, because I wanted them to be comfortable enough to tell me everything I really want to hear for the viewing pleasure. Whatever questions that are tough for people to ask, I can ask them, that was the real essence of creating the show and I’m happy that it translates into that visually. When you watch the show you will hear questions you have never heard that talent or superstar respond to like that.

Do you think some celebrities avoid interviews for the fear of misconceptions and misrepresentation?

This happens with blogs in search of clickbaits, but with myself, Paramount and BET Africa, we would not represent anyone in a light where they’re not comfortable with, and that’s why a lot of the talents easily agreed to be a part of the show because they can trust the brand. So people are confident in knowing that this interview that they’ve done, their interest is being protected, but at the same time, questions that needed to be asked were asked.

So more importantly, it’s a fun ride for both the celebrities, for me, as a show creator and host, but also for the viewers. That’s what is important for us, to create a fun viewing experience. We want 30 minutes to fly by so fast, you’re excited to see it again.

Are there plans to air this show on YouTube or just on cable TV?

I mean, for now, there are a lot of emphases on TV, because I am a TV boy, I love television. I have the YouTube option, obviously, but I wanted TV for a lot of reasons, not just because it’s BET now, but the TV experience is a little different from an online experience and also the TV viewers can’t be left out all the time.

So we created this for the TV viewers, those that love to watch, tune into a channel for a particular reason and watch it, they should watch TV. Repeat broadcasts will happen on the channel as well, so we’re driving traffic to the channel for people to go watch it. Whether or not we decide to put it on YouTube, that’ll be at our discretion later, but for now, that’s not the focal point. The focal point is we want you to watch television. And that’s why we are taking time out to create something excellent that’s going to be worth viewers’ time and give that nostalgic feeling. So from September 5 at 9pm, tune into BET Channel 129 on DSTV.