Akala

Akala is an English rap artist and poet. His 2006 breakthrough album 'It’s Not a Rumour' earned him a MOBO for Best Hip Hop Act and included the smash hit ‘Shakespeare’; his personal hip hop homage to the Bard. In 2009 Akala founded The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company (‘THSC’); a music theatre production company aimed at exploring the social, cultural and linguistic parallels between the works of Shakespeare and that of modern day hip-hop artists. Alongside the patronage of Ian Mckellen, the organisation has collaborated with the likes of Ed Sheeran, Kate Tempest and George the Poet to bring bespoke educational and social entrepreneurship development programmes to young people. The group’s adaptation of 'Richard II' at the Purcell Room received great critical acclaim and featured the likes of Lady Leshurr, Bashy and Josh Ono. He has sold out shows across the globe and supported the likes of MIA, Christina Aguilera and Nas and became the first ever hip hop act to perform a headline concert in Vietnam in 2007. During an appearance on Radio 1Extra he stunned listeners when he was challenged to compose a rap containing as many Shakespeare titles as possible. He wrote and performed a minute-long rap containing 27 different Shakespeare play titles in under half an hour and later released it as a single ‘Comedy Tragedy History.’