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Akala - Knowledge is Power Interview *must watch*


lanceW

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The only issue I take with Akala is he lacks the warmth and charisma it will take to deliver his message to people who aren't already into the subject matter

He is angry and fed up with the way things are and he needs to learn to let that anger go, or he stays imprisoned by the same system he critiques

I hope he does something great with the knowledge he has and doesn't just stay an excellent talking head

Would I vote for him? Hell yes in this day and age

But I'd rather he just taught my children, I'd settle for that

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You guys should check his old blog as well http://illastate.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1

He'd often up suggested reading lists, like this one http://illastate.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/suggested-reading-list-relating-to.html?m=1

I saw him perform at an African themed 'late at The Tate' night. He came on stage and before he started performing shouted out a bunch of books to read about the presence of Africans in Europe through the ages, long before the slave trade and the colonisation of Africa

I noted them down,

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Staying-Power-History-Britain-Political/dp/074533072X

http://www.amazon.co.uk/African-Presence-Europe-Journal-Civilizations/dp/0887386644

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ancient-And-Modern-Britons-Vol/dp/1592322255

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Really good interview.

 

I always felt Akala had a tendency to come across condescending, but I think he's become much better as a communicator and maybe let go of some of the anger and frustration that in my opinion coloured his message before. 

 

What he said about Brazil perfectly sums up my feelings about it.

 

Part of me would love to go and live there long term but as a dark skin black person there seeing how I was perceived and received by some people has fucked me up to a certain extent, it's such a contradictory place on the subject of race relations.

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Here are a few books I highly recommend listening to the interview last night I know akala has read them to.

Jeremy Paxman empire

how Europe underdeveloped africa walter rodney

Selected writing's and speeches of Marcus Garvey

Short history of colonialism wolfgang reinhard

Jamaica struggle in the periphery Michael Manley

How black people overcame fifty years of repression in britain vince hines

Some of you have surprised me with how clued up you are

Screenshot_2014_07_03_16_55_22.jpg

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Part of me would love to go and live there long term but as a dark skin black person there seeing how I was perceived and received by some people has fucked me up to a certain extent, it's such a contradictory place on the subject of race relations.

 

I hear much of Latin America is like that.

 

My boy is close with Tego Calderon, was telling 1 time Tego in the lift going up to his penthouse, Felix Trinidad has 1 up there too but anyway 1 white Puerto Rican woman walks in the lift with her laundry, blankets, towels etc... sees Tego and pops them in his arms, walks out the lift calm.

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Part of me would love to go and live there long term but as a dark skin black person there seeing how I was perceived and received by some people has f*cked me up to a certain extent, it's such a contradictory place on the subject of race relations.

 

I hear much of Latin America is like that.

 

My boy is close with Tego Calderon, was telling 1 time Tego in the lift going up to his penthouse, Felix Trinidad has 1 up there too but anyway 1 white Puerto Rican woman walks in the lift with her laundry, blankets, towels etc... sees Tego and pops them in his arms, walks out the lift calm.

 

 

:lmao:

 

It's fucked, it's so deeply ingrained into their psyche that it catches you off guard.

 

I went into a shop in Salvador with the intention of buying something, why is the shopkeeper bypassing me to talk to the fairer skinned person I was with like the notion I had enough money in my pocket to buy something was crazy? I was open to it being an isolated incident but it happened time and time again.

 

it works in your favour in some respects though, in Salvador especially if you dress accordingly you can blend in like one of the man dem which makes you less of a target in certain areas.

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tbh Akala lacks achievement and that's why I don't listen to him when he preaches

Akala was earmarked as a Maths prodigy and was chosen to attend a program for gifted teenagers at The Royal Institution before getting straight A’s in his GCSE’s.

 

A budding entrepreneur from an early age, Akala was only 18 years old when he founded his first business, ‘Aunties Restaurant’ - the first ever West Indian restaurant in Ayia Napa.

 

Akala released his first mixtape, ‘The War Mixtape’, in 2004. Two years later Illa State Records released Akala’s critically acclaimed debut studio album ‘It’s Not A Rumour’, featuring the critically acclaimed single, ‘Shakespeare’ championed by the likes of Radio 1 who playlisted it with heavy support from DJ’s Pete Tong and Zane Lowe.

 

The success of ‘It’s Not A Rumour’ led to Akala winning a MOBO Award for Best Hip Hop Act.

 

Akala's second album, 'Freedom Lasso' and third album, 'Double Think', were released in 2007 and 2010, respectively; both to critical acclaim and achieving number 1 spots on the iTunes Hip Hop chart.

 

Outside of the UK he has toured worldwide, from South America through to Africa, India and Australia. In 2007 he was the first ever Hip Hop act to play a concert in Vietnam.

 

In 2008, Akala founded The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company (“THSC”). Launching with the support of legendary British actor, Sir Ian McKellen, THSC is a music theatre production company specialising in youth engagement through education programmes, live events and music theatre productions. Five years on, THSC, is going from strength to strength, having spearheaded partnerships with Arts Council England, the National Youth Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, British Council, Sky Arts and the BBC. THSC has also extended its reach beyond the UK, having toured across the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Australia and New Zealand in the last 2 years alone.

 

A renowned speaker and commentator on youth engagement, socio-political issues as well as the arts, Akala has been enlisted as a speaker by TED, has been a regular guest on BBC's Newsnight, Newsnight Review and the Culture Show; Sky’s The Book Show and The South Bank Show, has written articles for The Guardian and Huffington post among others and has presented programmes for Channel 4, such as ‘Life of Rhyme’, the definitive history of UK MC culture.

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off topic but its something he touched on in the first interview, is there any pure blood indians still left in jamaica?

You mean native Jamaicans?

Taino people I dont think so. 

According to wiki as soon as the Spaniards touched base 70-80% of the native population died off...smh

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There is a place for Akala, but I just wonder what his purpose is. His arguments are weak. His stuff is only going to speak to the converted. It's not as if Mike Glorious is gonna listen and be like "yeah, I need to start changing my ways".

 

Basically lazy nigs who think they're more intelligent than other nigs listen to Akala because they can't be bothered to go out and read for themselves. I would love to see Akala on a serious political show (rather than those who are mesmerized by him) and watch how his weak arguments would get destroyed. 

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tbh Akala lacks achievement and that's why I don't listen to him when he preaches

Akala was earmarked as a Maths prodigy and was chosen to attend a program for gifted teenagers at The Royal Institution before getting straight A’s in his GCSE’s.

 

A budding entrepreneur from an early age, Akala was only 18 years old when he founded his first business, ‘Aunties Restaurant’ - the first ever West Indian restaurant in Ayia Napa.

 

Akala released his first mixtape, ‘The War Mixtape’, in 2004. Two years later Illa State Records released Akala’s critically acclaimed debut studio album ‘It’s Not A Rumour’, featuring the critically acclaimed single, ‘Shakespeare’ championed by the likes of Radio 1 who playlisted it with heavy support from DJ’s Pete Tong and Zane Lowe.

 

The success of ‘It’s Not A Rumour’ led to Akala winning a MOBO Award for Best Hip Hop Act.

 

Akala's second album, 'Freedom Lasso' and third album, 'Double Think', were released in 2007 and 2010, respectively; both to critical acclaim and achieving number 1 spots on the iTunes Hip Hop chart.

 

Outside of the UK he has toured worldwide, from South America through to Africa, India and Australia. In 2007 he was the first ever Hip Hop act to play a concert in Vietnam.

 

In 2008, Akala founded The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company (“THSC”). Launching with the support of legendary British actor, Sir Ian McKellen, THSC is a music theatre production company specialising in youth engagement through education programmes, live events and music theatre productions. Five years on, THSC, is going from strength to strength, having spearheaded partnerships with Arts Council England, the National Youth Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, British Council, Sky Arts and the BBC. THSC has also extended its reach beyond the UK, having toured across the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Australia and New Zealand in the last 2 years alone.

 

A renowned speaker and commentator on youth engagement, socio-political issues as well as the arts, Akala has been enlisted as a speaker by TED, has been a regular guest on BBC's Newsnight, Newsnight Review and the Culture Show; Sky’s The Book Show and The South Bank Show, has written articles for The Guardian and Huffington post among others and has presented programmes for Channel 4, such as ‘Life of Rhyme’, the definitive history of UK MC culture.

 

LOL

 

He isn't a regular speaker on Newsnight AT ALL. They wheel him out when they want to talk about nig-hop. That must have been written by his PR company tbh. Looks like favourable copy that David Ogilvy would have been proud of. I wonder if his restaurant still exists, I wonder if there's evidence for his GCSE claim. I find it odd he doesn't go to university. He probably thinks it's Babylon's tool. 

GTFO. The guy is a creation and lazy nigs and left wing idiots who wanna be intelligent love it. 

 

Where you get it from Barton?

 

EDIT - As suspected, got it from a company who promote Akala - http://jnight.org/artists.php

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