Akala – 'It’s Not a Rumour' (Illastate) Released 24/04/06

2005 was a great year for UK Hip Hop; from the mainstream triumph of Roll Deep, to the massive underground popularity of Sway’s mixtape, the UK scene was blowing. But 2006 has seen an inevitable drought in new talent following this unprecedented success - could Ms. Dynamite’s ickle brother, Akala, fill the void?

As the distorted guitars and the grimy two-step beat of the opening two tracks ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’ blare from the speakers, the jury is well and truly out. The heavy, broken basslines and powerful choruses make for great club tunes, but it’s hard not to draw obvious comparisons between these guitar-fueled Hip-Hop tracks, and Kano’s chart-banger ‘Typical Me’, a similarity that’s heightened by Master Dynamite’s Kano inspired off-beat flow. It’s undeniably catchy, but unoriginal – is Akala jumping on the Grime bandwagon a year too late?
 
Thankfully, as the album progresses, Akala’s witty lyrical dexterity strengthens, developing the rapper’s own style and individuality. His wordplay raises a smile throughout, describing himself as William Shakespeare, ‘back from the dead, but I rap about gats and I’m black instead’. Forever boasting about his straight As at GCSE (clever git), Akala’s not afraid to showoff his talents with a cocky Hip Hop arrogance that is appealing in its blatancy – ‘I took exams early with the geeks of the school …  I’m one of Britain’s best mathematicians, official, I’ve got the certificate’. And of course, as we have come to expect from all good Hip Hop artists, Akala has some strong words to say about the sociopolitical state of our fine nation – from ‘extending the congestion charge’ to ‘the wage MPs get paid´ to racism in football, Akala attacks it all and puts the world straight.      

Musically, ‘It’s Not a Rumour’ constantly switches rhythms and styles, and will keep you on your toes. The beautiful acoustic samples used in tracks such as ‘Carried Away’ and ‘Why Do’ (on which Akala gets a little vocal help from big sis’) are neatly juxtaposed with bone shattering beats and buzzing bumble bee basslines (‘Shakespeare’), showing a real depth to Akala’s ability. Elsewhere, tracks such as ‘Bullshit’ use basic two note piano samples that hark back to the good ol’ days of Naughty by Nature and De La Soul in their simplicity and party vibe.

In places, ‘It’s Not a Rumour’ is on par with albums by Akala’s British Hip Hop contemporaries, showcasing the intelligent, potent rapping ability of this young new talent. But with the recent release of Sway’s full album, and a brand new LP from Kano on the way later this year, Akala’s lack of originality will mean he’ll face strong competition in a genre already saturated with similar sounding UK talent.