Born Olushola Ajose in southeast London to Nigerian parents, it's not hard to spot the impact his Nigerian heritage and British upbringing has had. Fusing together his passion for grime, rap and afrobeat with a love for a good hook, Afrikan Boy is steadily carving out his own niche in the MC circle.
With a self assured style - custom ankara threads and the obligatory pair of trendy kicks are staple part of his wardrobe - his lyrics are as dynamic as his musical tastes, citing everyone from Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade to 2Pac and Dizzee Rascal as influences.
Following the release of his first mixtape 'What Took You So Long', Afrikan Boy continued to
captivate audiences with the punchy freestyle 'Look At Me Now' featuring Boya D, the 'Pon Pon Remix' (a tribute to the late Nigerian artist Dagrin) and the chilled out sounds of 'Dissertation'.
After a break from music to complete his university degree, AB showed no sign of slowing down the pace with the release of 'Amala Azonto', a cheeky ode to the Ghanaian Azonto dance craze produced by Delirious, featuring friend and fellow afrobeats artist, Dotstar.
Already championed by the likes of DJ Semtex (BBC Radio 1/ 1Xtra), The Guardian, Wonderland, The Fader, Fact Magazine and listed as one of MTV's 'Hot Afrobeats Acts in 2012', Afrikan Boy is a firm favourite among industry heavyweights. It was the grime infused 'One Day I Went To Lidl', a humorous ode to the discount supermarket, that caught the ear of underground fans and fellow British rapper and Grammy Award nominee, M.I.A, that soon led to guest appearances on the 'Paper Planes' remix and 'Hussel' on her 'Kala' album as well as a stint on both the 'Kala' and 'People vs. Money' world tours.
Links
Hit Em Up: release date 22
Available from:
Amazon: www.amazon.co.uk
The video is directed by Brazilian directors Philip an Anton Figueroa.
Afrikan Boy was part of ‘Africa Express’, the eight city UK summer tour as part of the London
2012 cultural Olympics, where he shared the stage with the likes of the legendary Femi Kuti, Baaba Maal, Damon Albarn, Rizzle Kicks, The Noisettes, Fatoumata Diawara,
Mark Ronson, Spoek Mathambo and Paul McCarthy.
Afrikans in Denmark:
Copenhagen producers Silver Bullit created Afrikans In Denmark release which boasts three
original tracks with Afrikan Boy. The EP also features appearances from Spoek Mathambo (on
“Show Me What U Made Of”) and Dotstar (“Shokoto”) as well as remixes by Chief Boima, Mad Professor, Elo and others.
Recent Live gigs
June 2013 Saluting The Black President Tour Paris & London
23rd July Gentlemen of the Road Lewes 2013 - The Very Best Sound system
26th July – WOMAD with Spoek Mathambo
3rd August Africa Centre Summer Festival Featuring Nneka
September: London Headline gig TBC
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