Akala (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Akala is an English
rap
and hip hop
artist from Kentish Town
, Camden
, London
. He is the younger brother of the singer Ms. Dynamite
.
.
Akala has performed at UK festivals: V Festival
, Wireless
, Glastonbury
, Reading and Leeds Festivals
, Parklife
and Isle of Wight
and supported artists such as Christina Aguilera
, M.I.A., Richard Ashcroft
(The Verve), Audiobullys, DJ Shadow
, The Gotan Project and Scratch Perverts
on their UK/European tours.
In 2008, Akala has also featured at the South by Southwest
Music festival in Texas
, as well as performances in New York, Los Angeles and in Brazil.
In 2010, Akala toured the UK with the Nas & Damian Marley Distant Relatives tour, which included the British rappers Ty. In November 2010, he also embarked on his own headline tour of the UK (20 dates).
In November 2010, Akala headlined a live performance at the British Library
, to launch the Evolving English exhibition and featured performances by the renowned British poet Zena Edwards, comedian Doc Brown and British rapper/activist Lowkey. The live event also included Akala taking part in a hip hop panel discussion alongside Saul Williams, US professor M.K. Asante and Lowkey.
He was also present at One Love:No Borders Hip Hop event held in Birmingham UK in April also with acts from artists such as Iron Braydz from London, Lowkey, Logic and other up and coming UK artists.
, Kidulthood
. The song "The Edge", from Its Not A Rumour, was used in the NBA 2K10
' video game.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist from Kentish Town
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
, Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He is the younger brother of the singer Ms. Dynamite
Ms. Dynamite
Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley , who performs as Ms. Dynamite, is a double BRIT Award and three time MOBO Awards winning UK garage, R&B and hip hop singer and rapper.-Biography:...
.
Albums
| Album Information |
|---|
| It's Not a Rumour It's Not a Rumour It's Not a Rumour was the debut album by hip hop artist Akala, released in 2006 on Illa State Records.Akala won a MOBO Award for the album, denying hip hop heavyweights The Game and 50 Cent to claim this award, causing much controversy....
|
| Freedom Lasso
|
| Doublethink Doublethink Doublethink, a word coined by George Orwell in the novel 1984, describes the act of simultaneously accepting two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct, often in distinct social contexts. It is related to, but distinct from, hypocrisy and neutrality. Its opposite is cognitive dissonance, where... |
Mixtapes
| Mixtape Information |
|---|
The War Mixtape
|
| A Little Darker
|
| The War Mixtape Vol.2
|
Singles
- "Welcome to England" (2003)
- "War" (2004)
- "Roll Wid Us" (16 May 2005) - UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#72 - "Bullshit" (24 October 2005)
- "The Edge" (featuring NiaraNiara ScarlettNiara Scarlett is a British born singer-songwriter, perhaps most famous for her work with British production house Xenomania. Scarlett appeared on a number of dub, garage, grime, and house singles in the latter half of the 1990s and the 2000s.-Background:...
) (10 April 2006) - "Dat Boy Akala" (featuring Low Deep)
- "Shakespeare" (3 July 2006)
- "Bit by Bit" (17 September 2007)
- "Comedy Tragedy History" (2008)
- "Freedom Lasso" (2008)
- "Where I'm From" (2008)
- "Yours and My Children" (3 May 2010)
- "XXL" (2010)
- "Yours and My Children" (21 September 2010)
- "Find No Enemy" (31 March 2011)
Live performances
In 2006 Akala was the first rapper to perform his own headline concert in VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Akala has performed at UK festivals: V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
, Wireless
Wireless
Wireless telecommunications is the transfer of information between two or more points that are not physically connected. Distances can be short, such as a few meters for television remote control, or as far as thousands or even millions of kilometers for deep-space radio communications...
, Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
, Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
, Parklife
Parklife
Parklife is the third studio album by the English alternative rock band Blur, released in April 1994 on Food Records. After disappointing sales for their previous album Modern Life Is Rubbish , Parklife returned Blur to prominence in the UK, helped by its four hit singles: "Girls & Boys", "End of a...
and Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
and supported artists such as Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, M.I.A., Richard Ashcroft
Richard Ashcroft
Richard Paul Ashcroft is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer and occasional guitarist of alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their split in 1999, and continues as a lead vocalist working with guitars and keyboards...
(The Verve), Audiobullys, DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
, The Gotan Project and Scratch Perverts
Scratch Perverts
The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from London, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Renegade.-Biography:The Scratch Perverts originally consisted of 4 members; Tony Vegas, Renegade, First Rate and Mr Thing. The Scratch Perverts later expanded to an 8-member...
on their UK/European tours.
In 2008, Akala has also featured at the South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
Music festival in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, as well as performances in New York, Los Angeles and in Brazil.
In 2010, Akala toured the UK with the Nas & Damian Marley Distant Relatives tour, which included the British rappers Ty. In November 2010, he also embarked on his own headline tour of the UK (20 dates).
In November 2010, Akala headlined a live performance at the British Library
British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom, and is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items. The library is a major research library, holding over 150 million items from every country in the world, in virtually all known languages and in many formats,...
, to launch the Evolving English exhibition and featured performances by the renowned British poet Zena Edwards, comedian Doc Brown and British rapper/activist Lowkey. The live event also included Akala taking part in a hip hop panel discussion alongside Saul Williams, US professor M.K. Asante and Lowkey.
He was also present at One Love:No Borders Hip Hop event held in Birmingham UK in April also with acts from artists such as Iron Braydz from London, Lowkey, Logic and other up and coming UK artists.
Use in other media
The song "Roll Wid Us", was used in the British filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Kidulthood
Kidulthood
Kidulthood is a 2006 British drama film about the life of several teenagers in Ladbroke Grove and Latimer Road area of inner west London. It was directed by Menhaj Huda and written by Noel Clarke, who also stars in the film and directed the sequel, Adulthood...
. The song "The Edge", from Its Not A Rumour, was used in the NBA 2K10
NBA 2K10
NBA 2K10 is a basketball video game based on the National Basketball Association developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released on October 6, 2009 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PSP and on October 12, 2009 on PC. It was released on Wii on November 9, 2009 in...
' video game.