He doesn’t mince words; is extremely vocal about his thoughts and mindset; and, at times, comes across as being dichotomous as he speaks his mind on subjects as varied as politics, poverty, oppression and cultural appropriation. He voices concerns regarding racial attacks the world over. Kingslee James Daley better known as Akala, British rapper and hip-hop artist, is a BAFTA and MOBO award-winning performer, poet, label owner and social entrepreneur.
As part of The Exchange, a collaboration between the UK’s Department for International Trade and Mumbai-based music promoter, Submerge, Akala is set to perform in Delhi this Saturday after a gig in Mumbai alongside AV artist, DJ Cheeba and Selectah Si Chai.
Excerpts:
On the Hip-Hop Shakespeare Companythat he founded
I always wanted to do something in the space of education. And Shakespeare was in many ways used as a symbol of everything that was wrong with the British education system . His work is inspiring; it tells many stories. So I wanted to devise something around hip-hop and Shakespeare. And then I was challenged by a radio channel to come up with a one minute rap with 27 Shakespeare play titles, which I did. And then I came up with this course exercise to devise a workshop around hip-hop and Shakespeare and we started doing productions of Shakespeare.
On conducting writing workshops with children and young adults
What we are trying to prove here is that it’s not about the content; it’s about the method of delivery. The version of education they have is one of boredom. And I feel that if you can find interesting, engaging ways to tackle material, there’ll be a positive outcome of the same education.
Onthe issues that spur his lyrics
Politics, race, class, legacies of the British Empire, that’s one of the reasons I exist. Trying to make sense of the world via my own experiences and my own learning is the basis of my music.
On declaring ‘black intellectual culture not getting acknowledged’
I think it’s becoming easier; the landscape is changing, we force the conversation to a certain point and after that we have platforms with the internet so we can ignore mainstream media if we need to. The culture of west European countries in general and Britain and France in particular is such that they have a legacy of racial slavery. There was a period in history where Africans were considered non-human, a different species of human beings – not only an unintelligent lower race but maybe considered closer to apes and monkeys. Today, black excellence particularly intellectual excellence is a threat to a lot of people’s identity, their sense of self, their sense of what it means to be white.
So the black intelligentsia finds themselves in this kind of a paradoxical position and if you see there were television programmes made on young black drug dealers. Black intellectual contribution was never talked of because the image of the black drug dealer would be very sexy, seductive and clichéd in the country where I grew up.
On his experiences in India
India is an interesting territory. I came here in 2012 twice. There’s a respectable audience that knows the material. I feel that the hip-hop scene is kind of virgin, new here. I made a documentary here as well in collaboration withPiyush Mishra. The UK music is being received here in a very different way than it was when I was much younger.
On inspirations drawn from India
I don’t think I have written anything consciously inspired by India per se. However, while travelling around the world and seeing the challenges that the globe faces, the people face, many of these are manifested in India too. Something has to really strike you to write and the things I see in India are not new to me anymore. When I was 10 or 15-year-old, I travelled to South Africa and Brazil, it made an impact on me. The level of inequality and social challenges in those countries is similar to what you face here. If I had come to India when I was 19, I might have found Dharavi shocking. But that’s not what I would write about.
Most of my favourite philosophies are Indian philosophies. There’s the whole thing about intelligence, spirituality, yoga and multiple cultures that the Indian subcontinent has produced. They have a big influence on me.
On his interesting name, which seems inspired by Buddhist term for ‘immovable’.
No, I don’t follow any given particular philosophical thought. I just like the name. In Sanskrit, it means ‘eternal’ and in Filipino it means ‘I thought’, in one of the aboriginal languages it means ‘parrot’ and kala of course in Hindi means black. Sometimes, a name chooses you!
On his current projects
I am about to release probably next month a soundtrack, a few things for children in the summer, some TV programmes.
(Akala will perform at 9 p.m. on April 1 at BandStand, Aurobindo Market, New Delhi)
