FIF: Akala

Oh hey guys, and WELCOME BACK to MTV Breaks’ fave weekly feature – “f**k it!” Friday. Today we’re celebrating celebs that have got where they are today just by saying those two immortal words: “f**k it!”

Because you’re never going to board the Success Express if you don’t take risks. Having big ideas is a world away from actually driving those ideas into action!

So who’s up this week in the FIF roll call of honour? Drumroll… it’s AKALA!

Akala is a rapper, poet, presenter and social entrepreneur from North London. He won the MOBO Award for Best Hip Hop up against the likes of Hip Hop legends like Kanye West and Busta Rhymes in 2006, and a BAFTA in 2015 when he presented BBC’s Poetry: Between The Lines.

So he’s a bit of an all-rounder, to say the least. But why is he our FIF role model this week?

Akala was passionate about music and culture from an early age (his step-dad was the manager of the Hackney Empire Theatre, so he soaked up all he could learn from the plays he saw) and always wanted to be a rapper.

When his sister, Ms Dynamite, started making the big-time in music he was exposed to the industry for a while before entering into it himself. It would have been tempting to gain fame and fortune through his sister and bring out music he knew the industry wanted.

BUT Akala decided to say a big fat “f**k it!” (probably) and established himself independently, both from his sister’s success and from major record labels. Instead he founded his own music label, Illa State Records and kick-started his music career all by himself.

Not only did Akala make it through honest hard work and independent perseverance (avoiding any direct association with his sister’s famous name), but he has always created music that he feels personally passionate about, something that he says often impacts negatively on his success in the industry. He writes about topics like race and politics, and he’s done loads of lectures and media interviews about ethnic issues.

Oh, and he founded the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company in 2009 that aims to explore hip hop as an art form and the genre’s repressed voices.

So basically Akala is not only a creative genius, but he’s an artist that says “my way or the highway”. In other words, Akala is 100% “f**k it!” royalty for sticking to his guns, doing only what he believes is right regardless of fame and money, and being completely innovative in making a name for himself.

Bow down.