Akala has emerged from London's hip hop underground into the mainstream as one of the leaders of a new British artistic renaissance.
Bursting on to the scene in 2004, he made history by being the first unsigned artist to have a video appear on MTV UK's TRL show.
In 2006, his first album, It's Not a Rumour, dropped with trance-sampling single Shakespeare being play-listed and championed on BBC's Radio 1 via the support of influential DJ Zane Lowe.
The album received critical acclaim and earned Akala the Best Hip Hop Artist award at the 2006 MOBO awards, beating out Kanye West.
Reflecting the disorder and flux of contemporary life, Akala's second album Freedom Lasso was an energetic essay on modern life, drawing influences from the whole spectrum of music - rap, rock, electro, punk and folk.
Summer 2010 saw Akala return with his third effort, DoubleThink, which was inspired by the three classic novels of dystopian vision: George Orwell's 1984, ALdous Huxley's Brave New World and Yevgeny Zamyatin's We.
Inspired by the likes of Saul Williams and Gil Scott Heron, Akala has also developed a reputation for stellar live performances with his drummer Cassell 'TheBeatmaker' headlining five UK tours and touring with the likes of Jay Z, Nas, Damian Marley, MIA, Christina Aguilera, Siouxsie Sue and Richard Ashcroft, appearing at numerous festivals worldwide.
He also partnered with the British Council to promote British arts across Africa, Vietnam (the first rapper to perform a live concert in Vietnam), New Zealand and Australia.
In 2009, Akala launched The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company, a hotly-tipped music theatre production educaton company. His prowess at communicating effectively with young people has resulted in collaborations with the Arts Council, London 2012, the National Youth Theatre and numerous appearances on BBC2's Newsnight Review.
