AKALA is a BAFTA and MOBO award-winning hip-hop artist who fuses a unique rap/rock/electro-punk sound with fierce lyrical storytelling inspired by the likes of Saul Williams and Gil Scot-Heron. As well as a writer and social entrepreneur, he is the co-founder of The HipHop Shakespeare Company. With an extensive global touring history, Akala has appeared at numerous festivals both in the UK and internationally, and has led innovative projects in the arts, education and music across South East Asia, Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand. Akala has also appeared on NPR, PBS, MTV, BET, Channel 4, ITV, Sky Arts and the BBC promoting his music, poetry and speaking on wide-ranging subjects from music, race, youth engagement, British/AfricanCaribbean culture and the arts, with numerous online lectures, podcasts and performances that have reached millions via YouTube/Spotify. More recently known for his compelling lectures and journalism - he has written for The Guardian, Huffington Post, GQ and the Independent and spoken for the Oxford Union and TEDx. NATIVES, Akala's 2018 published memoir is a Sunday Times best-seller, having sold over 300,000+ copies worldwide. Akala has gained a reputation as one of the most dynamic and articulate talents in the UK.