FACTORY78: Afrikan Boy Live Performance @ Africa Festival 2013

2014-05-25 89

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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.