Page 60 - 2018 Powerlist

Profiles

NEW Akala
2018
Rapper, poet, activist

Kingslee James Daley, otherwise known by his stage name
Akala, is a British rapper, poet and political activist.
Originally from Kentish Town, London, Akala is a label
owner and social entrepreneur who mixes his rap/rock/
electro-punk sound with deep storytelling through his
words.
Akala, who is the brother of successful British 90s rapper
Ms Dynamite, won the 2006 MOBO Award for the Best Hip
Hop Act. In the same year, his song, Roll Wid Us, was used
in the British film, Kidulthood.
In 2007, Akala was the first hip-hop artist to perform
his own headline concert in Vietnam, and his performed
at numerous festivals, including V Festival, Wireless,
Glastonbury and the Isle of Wight. Touring acts he has
supported include Christina Aguilera, MIA, Richard
Ashcroft and The Gotan Project.
In 2009, he launched the Hip-hop Shakespeare Company,
which has proved to be a hit for producing quality musical
theatre.
You may recognise Akala – the Buddhist word for
‘immovable’ – from his appearance on several TV
programmes across Channel 4, ITV2, MTV, Sky Arts and
the BBC promoting his music, poetry and particularly for
& Entertainment
discussing matters such as youth engagement, race and the
experience of black Britons, African/Caribbean history and
all forms of art.
He runs a blog where he shares his opinion on debates
concerning our current climate such as the EU, politics and

Media, Publishing
history.
Born to a Jamaican father and Scottish mother, Akala has
been vocal about discrimination in the UK and struggles of
intellectual black Britons.
He has also written a lot on the Roots Reggae, a period
when a small posse of Jamaican musicians took songs of
Rastafari, revolution and hope to the international stage.

56 Powerlist 2018