LETHAL
INTERVIEWS:
AKALA
Lethal:
Yes Akala,
for those
who don’t
know let
people know
what you
represent as
an
artist…What
sets you
apart from
the next man
out there
doing his
thing…
Akala:
Well
straight up
spitting,
first and
foremost you
have to be
lyrical.
First and
foremost you
have to be
skilled with
the mic. And
obviously I
just do me.
I’m totally
honest and
real in my
music and
everything I
say and
obviously no
one can do
me better
than I can
do me.
Lethal:
Well I first
heard you on
that War
joint on
Channel U.
You’ve been
really
prolific
with your
video
output. How
many videos
have you
done?
Akala:
I’ve now
done seven
videos. One
of them
isn’t on
yet. It’s
the video
for the next
single
‘Shakespeare’.
Lethal:
How
important is
the video
medium to
you?
Akala:
I think the
video medium
is extremely
important
because you
have to be
visual to
your fans.
But I would
say artists
and fans
shouldn’t
over
estimate the
importance
of a video.
Without a
plot at
radio and
press the
video is
useless. A
lot of
people think
a hot video
on Channel U
means you’ve
made it and
it really
really
doesn’t. Its
like a tiny
spec, the
video is the
icing on the
cake.
In the big
scheme of
things the
video is
really the
last thing
you should
be doing but
Channel U’s
kind of
opened up an
avenue where
we are kina
running
before we
can walk and
we have to
be careful
and make
sure we’ve
got the
right thing
going on at
radio and
press to
back up what
were doing
at Channel
U.
Lethal:
Well, one
track that
was big on
our radio
station
(Force
106.5!!!)
was the
‘Roll Wid
Us’ joint.
That had two
mixes both
very hot.
Big up
Dexplicit.
Who produced
the
original?
Akala:
a Croatian
producer
called Dash,
same guy who
produced
‘War’,
produced the
original. I
actually
went out to
Croatia to
do War but I
wrote ‘Roll
Wid Us’ on
the way back
on the
plane. Well,
I thought it
on the way
back…
Lethal:
Well you had
one Hip Hop
mix and one
Grime mix. I
think you
were one for
the first UK
rappers to
do that…What
made you
make that
move?
Akala:
Cause I
think
there’s a
silly
division in
England
between UK
Hip Hop and
Grime. In
reality
Grime
obviously
stems from
Garage but
in essence
what Grime
has become
is our
equivalent
to Down
South Rap.
Its got its
own sound
and its
unique but
Grime youths
are still
rapping.
They’re just
rapping
faster than
you rap on a
slow beat so
if you can
rap fast
then you do
Grime.
Music’s all
about
breaking
down
barriers and
to me I
would love
to have the
Grime
audience and
the Rap
audience.
That’s why I
did both.
Lethal:
Then you had
the Bulls***
joint. That
tune works
so well
live. I
caught you
up at Sugar
Sugar and
the crowd
was on that…
Akala:
Yeah,
well adults
are children
really, they
like to
swear. And
the reality
is there in
the crowd
like there
15 like
swearing and
they enjoy
it and its
fun…
Lethal:
So why did
you feel to
write that
tune?
Akala:
Because I
feel there
are so many
things in
the world
that come
under that
B.S
category.
But also I
feel its
important to
be
entertaining.
No one wants
a message
rammed down
their
throat.
Nobody wants
to be told
what to do.
So I think
its
important to
deliver a
message like
‘hey this is
my opinion,
you think
what you
think’ but
to be funny
with it.
That’s why I
pointed out
some really
serious
issues as
well as some
really
trivial
issues. I
tried to be
entertaining
but still
give people
something to
think about.
Lethal:
Well we all
know you
know how to
hustle in
the game but
how
difficult is
it to keep
things
moving at an
independent
level?
Akala:
Very, very
difficult
bro. Its
like if you
sleep for
one minute
your kinda
forgotten
and the
scenes moved
ahead of
you. Its
like with a
major they
have so much
money to
spend to
make you
visible.
It’s so easy
for them to
get you
there. Its
like you’ve
never seen
an Akala
poster. You
might have
seen me on
Channel U or
heard me on
the radio
but you
don’t see my
posters
plastered
all over the
country.
That’s
simply for
money
reasons.
That’s an
expensive
thing to do.
You’ve never
seen my
adverts all
over
television.
I’m relying
on the fact
that I’m
good to sell
me. I
haven’t got
the money to
visibly put
myself out
there in the
way that the
majors have.
And good for
them, that’s
there way of
doing things
but also for
me as an
artist you
have to be
careful
where you
spend your
pounds cause
every pound
you spend
you gotta
make it
back.
Lethal:
But ‘Roll
Wid Us’,
that went
Top 75
right?
Akala:
Yeah, it
went to
number 72
and number
10 in the
independent
chart. I
think number
10 in the
independents
is a good
guide for
your first
release is a
good guide
of where
your at
basically.
Lethal:
No doubt,
well I know
you handle
your
business as
well as your
spitting. So
how do you
see the
future with
on line
sales and
the
internet?
Akala:
I defintley
think the
internet has
created huge
opportunities
for
independent
artists.
Like My
Space and
stuff like
that, you
can have
direct
contact with
your fans.
If people
like you
then they
can find you
and talk
directly to
you. That’s
an
opportunity
we’ve never
had before.
We had to
pay money to
be visable,
whereas My
Space is
free. I go
on there,
I’ve been on
there just
under a
month and
I’ve got
nearly three
thousand
fans now and
friends. And
I was late
on it, now
I’ve got
three
thousand
people that
can message
me on a
daily basis.
We’ve
obviously
know the
Arctic
Monkeys
story and I
just think
the internet
is a big
tool for
independents.
Lethal:
Yeah its
good to see
you
embracing
it…
Akala:
Independents
have to
embrace it.
Lethal:
Cool, well
lets talk
about your
album ‘Its
Not A
Rumour’. Its
out now.
Tell us
about some
of the
concepts on
there
because I
read your
biog and its
sounds like
your
breaking
into some
new ground…
Akala:
Yeah, I am.
Basically
the album is
heavily Rock
influenced
basically
because I’ve
been
listening to
more Rock
than I have
Hip Hop. I
listen to
Old School
Hip Hop all
the time
like Mobb,
Wu, Jay-Z
from them
times.
I feel to me
that was the
golden era
of Hip Hop.
I feel that
American Hip
Hop is just
boring now.
I sick of
seeing naked
girls in the
video, I’m
sick of
hearing
rhymes about
Cristall.
And because
of this it’s
driven me to
other music
forms and
Rock is a
genre were I
feel the
artists are
still
themselves
and have an
identity and
creativity.
All the
majot
artists
whether its
Cold Play,
The White
Stripes,
they are
very
different.
And so I
have been
heavily Rock
influenced
and its come
into my
music.
There’s
still other
influences,
the next
single
‘Shakesphere’
features a
House sample
from Tom
Craft
‘Lonylness’
which was
number one
for four
weeks.
There’s a
lot of Soul
influences
on there,
its just
real
musical.
It’s the
same sort of
lyrical
content as
the War Mix
Tape. Its
just much
broader
musically.
But still
the roads
will still
appreciate
it and like
it for what
it is cause
its still
Hip Hop.
Lethal:
And I know
you got a
live band,
what’s your
show like?
Akala:
I like it
man. My
favourite
part of this
whole job is
performing
live. When
your out
there and
the crowds
there and
their
responding
to you. I
mean, when I
perform I
jump up and
down, I run
up and down
the stage.
I spit till
my lungs
collapse.
That for me
makes this
whole thing
worthwhile.
Like when
your on
stage, your
head is
clear and
you can’t
think of
anything
else apart
from you and
the crowd
and nothing
else is
important.
Lethal:
You
defintley
held down
the space up
in Suga Suga.
I think the
band adds a
different
energy…
Akala:
Yeah,
it does.
When I do my
live shows I
do it with a
DJ as well
as a band so
you still
have the Hip
Hop beats
underneath
with the
backing
track but
then you
have the
band sitting
nicely on
it. This
gives you a
real nice
full sound
but its
still
maintains
the sound
that you get
on the
record.
Lethal:
Well, best
of luck with
the album. I
heard you
got a hot
mix CD about
to drop,
tell us
about that…
Akala:
Basically,
we’ve got
the
Illastate
Presents the
Underground
Industry.
It’s
basically
myself, my
sister and
almost
everybody
you can
think of on
there, Hip
Hop and
Grime. It’s
actually
ended up
with
slightly
more Grime
tracks than
Hip Hop
tracks.
It’s
basically a
big look for
the label as
it’s the
first
compliation
and
everyones
come through
and
represented
for
Illastate.
That will be
in stores
the 5th
of June but
that’s a
road
release.
That will be
in all the
independent
stores, ya
Dark N
Cold’s ya
internet
sites. That
won’t be
hitting HMV
and Virgin
till later
in the year.
Its for the
roads for
now.
Lethal:
Yeah well
man Miss
Dynamite
killed that
freestyle on
the Ripper
Man beat,
‘Stay
Strong’…
Akala:
Yeah,
there’s a
lot of stuff
like that on
there.
Producer
wise
everybody
came through
for us.
Ripper Man,
Dexplicit,
Black Jack,
Davinche,
Low Deep.
They all
came though
for us so
you’ve got
everyones
best beats
and everyone
did there
job man.
Lethal:
Well, good
to meet you
man, best of
luck with
the album…
Akala:
Yeah check
us out on I
Tunes. We
got that
hooked up
and check
out
www.akalamusic.com
