Akala

I always maintain that rap is poetry. The structure, rhyming and rhythm have been the main reason I started writing poetry and I believe the influence of rap music seeps into my poetry quite often.

Today, I wanted to very briefly introduce Akala to you.

Akala is a UK based rapper. Beyond just rapping, however, he is a political activist, a poet, a writer, educator and many more things. Rapping is but a small aspect of what he does.

I wanted to introduce him by sharing a freestyle that he did on a BBC radio show called Fire in the Booth. He appeared in this radio show four times over some years, and this video I'm sharing is from his last appearance which was back in 2016.

Admittedly, some of you might not understand what he is saying because of the accent and the speed at which he raps, but this appearance has two parts, and I believe the second part is one that most people will understand just fine because he is reciting slowly in a more spoken word form.

If you can watch the whole video (and understand some of what he is saying) I do urge you to do that, because it showcases his ability and gives you an idea of the topics he usually raps about, like social injustice. He of course does have parts where he shows that he is better than other rappers (that is simply part of rap).

If you would like to skip to the poetry segment, go to 11:15 in the video. At this point Akala will explain how the piece he will be reciting came about before proceeding shortly after. He will be "rapping" over slow dramatic music.

Many people have never heard of Akala because he isn't the typical rapper seen in mainstream media, which is why I wanted to introduce him to you.

If you enjoyed this, you should check parts 1 to 3 of his fire in the booth appearances because they won't disappoint.