Akala

Akala is a BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist, writer/poet, historian and social entrepreneur who fuses unique rap/rock/electro-punk sound with fierce lyrical storytelling.

More recently known for his compelling lectures and journalism - Akala has written for The Guardian, Huffington Post, GQ magazine and the Independent. He has also delivered inspiring keynote speeches for the Oxford Union and TEDx.

Combined with being awarded an honorary Doctorate by Oxford Brookes University and the University of Brighton, Akala has gained a reputation as one of the most dynamic and articulate talents in the UK.

With an extensive global touring history, he has appeared at numerous festivals both in the UK and internationally, and has led innovative projects in the arts, education and music across South East Asia, Africa, India, Australia
and New Zealand.

Akala has also appeared on NPR, PBS, MTV, BET, Channel 4, ITV, Sky Arts and the BBC promoting his music, poetry and speaking on wide-ranging subjects from music, race, youth engagement, British/African-Caribbean culture and the arts, with numerous online lectures, podcasts and performances that have reached millions via YouTube/Spotify.

Born to a Scottish mother and Jamaican father, he grew up in Kentish Town, London and is the co-founder of The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company, a music theatre production company launched with the support of Sir Ian McKellan, aimed at exploring the social, cultural and linguistic parallels between the works of William Shakespeare and that of modern day rappers.

The younger brother of rapper and vocalist Ms. Dynamite, Akala released his first album It's Not a Rumour in 2006 which won him rave reviews, including a MOBO Award. His second album was called Freedom Lasso, and his third –released in 2010 – was titled Doublethink.

With an extensive global touring history, he has appeared at numerous festivals both in the UK and internationally, and has led innovative projects in the arts, education and music across South East Asia, Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand.

A passionate historian with a fierce millennial following, Akala is a natural choice for brands keen to engage the youth audience.

His first memoir, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, published in 2018, is a searing modern polemic about race and society: from the first time he was stopped and searched as a 12 year old child, to the day he realised his mum was white, to his first encounters with racist teachers. It is already a Sunday Times best-seller, having sold over 250,000+ copies worldwide.

The following year, 2019, The Dark Lady was published by Hodder Children’s Books, part of Hachette. It is set in a “magical realist Shakespearean time which brings to life the vibrant, visceral, violent and adventurous world of the Renaissance”.

Always working to promote bigger ideals to the collective through his work, Akala takes his own experiences and widens them to look at the social, historical and political factors that have shaped modern society, and where we might go from here.

In 2015, Akala co-founded a creative publishing hub which produces creative content across music, books and TV. One of its latest productions, 'The Ruins of Empires', is an adaptation of Akala's graphic novel / epic poem of the same name - combining Hip Hop poetry and emerging technology, this innovative production blended both traditional and game engine animation with motion capture techniques and wearable technology, further pushing the envelope of the global Hip Hop art form.

Combined with being awarded an honorary Doctorate by Oxford Brookes University, the University of Brighton and University of Exeter, Akala has gained a reputation as one of the most dynamic and articulate talents in the UK today.

From a very young age, race and class have shaped Akala's life and led him to look at the social, historical and political factors that have left us where we are today.

He speaks on wide-ranging subjects from music, race, youth engagement, British/African-Caribbean culture and the arts, with numerous TEDx lectures, podcasts and performances to his name that have reached millions via YouTube and Spotify.

With viewpoints equally personal and scholarly, Akala discusses issues of race and society, the roots of racism and the movement toward allyship and anti-racism. It’s impossible to discuss the movement for black lives, social justice and equity around the world without mentioning Akala's influence throughout Europe, Australia, Africa and the USA.

Whether it’s a virtual presentation or live and in-person, Akala's motivational keynote speeches are impassioned and creative, whilst at the same time being deeply personal and rich with history.

His current speech options are as follows:

Talk 1: Africa In History
An overview of African civilisations and societies from 10,000BC to 1700AD, looking at development of writing, astronomical calendars, metallurgy, warfare, empires, kinship, religions and much more.

Talk 2: The Haitian Revolution
Tells the story of the only successful slave revolution in human history. Between 1791 and 1804 the former slaves of Haiti defeated France, Britain and Spain in war and declared the country independent and slavery forever abolished.

Talk 3: A History of Black Britain
From the Romans to the Tudors, from the 18th century black abolitionists to the 19th century working class black radicals, from Notting Hill Carnival to Broadwater Farm this is a social history of the presence of black people in the British isles.

Talk 4: Black People of the Americas
Explores the the history of black people of the America’s from slave rebellions to music, art and culture and to the fascinating but lesser known achievements of black scientists and inventors in the 19th century and much much more

Talk 5: Black People In Science: Ancient and Modern
Explores the contributions of Black People to Science and Technology throughout history, from the mathematical systems of pre-colonial Africa to the achievements and inventions of black Americans in the 19th century.

Talk 6: Race, Class and Imperialism
A historical look at the development of racism and race science in the context of class development and European Imperialism.

Talk 7: THSC Talk – Hip hop and Shakespeare: An Overview and Explanation
An introduction to work and concepts of The Hip Hop Shakespeare company looking at language, rhythm and themes and exploring the social and linguistic parallels between the works of William Shakespeare and that of modern day rappers.

Talk 8: History of Hip Hop – The Evolution of an Emcee – Overview of the oral traditions, musical, cultural and political movements that have contributed to the evolution of Emceeing so far.
Tracing the development of oral poetry and storytelling from the Griots of West Africa through blues and jazz into Hip-Hop.

Talk 9: Music Industry and Production Master class.

Talk 10: Natives – talk about Akala’s new book
Akala’s bestselling 2018 book Natives is part biography part polemic that fuses stories from Akala’s own life with historical scholarship to examine race and class in the ruins of the British Empire.

Talk 11: The Power of Education
From growing up in a theatre, to black Saturday school, from playing football for West Ham United to running his own business to the bitter lessons learned from his friends mistakes Akala has experienced many forms of education in addition to schooling. This talk examines what he learned from each of them.

Creativity and Entrepreneurship
In this keynote speech, Akala shares with businesses and organisations his insights on how to innovate and create a culture of entrepreneurship. His personal productivity levels across numerous disciplines are awe-inspiring, leaving social entrepreneurs and business innovators asking, "How does he do it?" Akala shares his inspiration, process and routine conducive to a creativity and innovation.

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Clients often ask about purchasing books for giveaways and delegate packs. Below you’ll find a selection of products by Akala. Click the images to view on Amazon's website. For bulk orders, please speak with your Booking Agent.