dat boy akala

close to the edge

Eventhough he is the winner in the 2006 MOBO Awards Best Hip-Hop category (beating out Busta, Kano, Kanye, and Sway), that boy Akala will still be referred to as ‘Akala The Brother of Ms. Dynamite’ for a little while longer. And I’m sure he’s cool with that. They seem to have a great brother-sister chemistry at least on their double-disc mixtape ‘A Little Darker’ that came out earlier this year. I haven’t heard the album ‘It’s Not A Rumour’ yet but you can watch videos for a bunch of songs here. The ‘A Little Darker’ mixtape is quite solid and diverse and it shows Ms. Dynamite in a context that was new to me but maybe not to the Brits. And she sounds really dope. There’s grime and/or garage, an Usher beat, a Dipset beats, a Michael Jackson beat... most didn't make the cut, eventhough I couldn’t narrow the selection down to less than six joints.

Akala, Sincere – London State of Mind
Hard street lyrics, catchy sing-song hooks, nice beat, effortless flows.

Ms. Dynamite – Way Back When
Interesting British version of ‘back in the day’ lyrics illuminating the importance of US pop culture. Sis reminisces with bro in mind. Appropriate old-school loop.

Ms. Dynamite, J2K, Nathan, Asher D, Bruza – Bounce
Great combination platter. Timbo-like sounds but steady. Akon-like hook but sped up. Vocal diversity.

Ms. Dynamite, Riko, Flowdan, Killa P – Murder
Out in the streets I would love to hear her flip that hook The stuttered beat with the skanking beat is simply working wonders.

Akala, Ms. Dynamite, Bruise Boy, Bashy, Corey Johnson - More Than Ever
The emotional take on gone-daddys over the ‘80s style production handles sentiment well but the harsh details cut through the soft focus. Akala’s verse is particularly sharp and Corey spits some tasty venom.

Akala - Billie Jean Freestyle
Sick when I’m spittin’ wit’ em
Like a clip, lyrics hit ‘em
So vivid wiv it a blind man can see their visions
So kids sit and listen
Shit, I’m a flippin’ villain
I belong in prison for killin’ rhythms in Great Britain