iCanLookFly

AKS was a lucky find for us. We stumbled across his work online and having listened to his new EP ‘The Bus Stop’ he was an artist we wanted to feature instantly. His lyrical content really struck a chord with us and his energy filled performance at his launch party really drew us in. We picked his brain on his African roots, his influences, fashion, passions and more. His EP is a wonderful blend of great hip-hop with some laid back tunes coupled with upbeat and heartfelt tracks. Here is our stop on his journey. We have decided to let the interview do the rest of the talking, we feel this feature doesn’t need concluding because AKS is incredibly articulate and delivers much more than your average answers to questions. We wish him all the best in the future. FLY for taking you on a journey into his life and exploring it through his music.

First up, where are you answering these questions?

I’m literally sitting at “The Bus Stop” on the way to a gig. No thrills out here mate, I spend so much time on public transport, its no wonder that’s the title of my E.P. Regardless…It’s a chauffer service that I share with many. 

Your father plays Saxophone and Piano, was he your route into music or the person who first got you into music as a kid?

My Dad definitely had a massive influence on me in terms of having the desire to pursue music as an art form but if I’m honest I never ever had the intention of going down the instrumentalist route. My dad always wanted me to play the piano, but I was a bit of a rebellious child. Growing up though, my house was always filled with musical undertones, be it the Nigerian greats like Fela “Anikulapo” Kuti or jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie. It was that mixture of Jazz and Afrobeat was the soundtrack to my early childhood. One of my earliest memories of music is being about 7 or 8, and jumping on stage whilst my Dad was performing in The Albany (Deptford), grabbing the mic and singing away like I was part of his act. That must’ve triggered something because I’ve been involved in music in some way or another ever since.

When did you start rapping and when did you realise you had a talent for spitting?

I’m a bit of a latecomer to Hip-Hop in general; I didn’t really vibe with it until my late teenage years. I got into the Garage and the early Grime scene and was part and parcel of that whole craze of MCing that swept through the nation’s youth. Nothing atypical about it really, I just remember it being that we went from going “back-to-back” in school corridors to weekly sets on pirate radio. For the most part we weren’t saying anything of any real substance, just trying to get an audience reaction, pull up or missed call. It’s evolved now, but back then not many people were trying to be socially expressive within the Grime scene and I just wanted an avenue to express my thoughts and opinions more readily, Hip-Hop provided that for me. 

Who inspires you at the moment? Who inspired you growing up?

I’m really in love with the music that Nneka makes there’s a spirit to her stuff that reminds me of the Fela I used to hear when I was growing up. Maybe that’s the Nigerian in me. LOL.

It’s hard to discount notable people like Michael Jackson and their influence via their music, TV etc as if their contribution wasn’t equally or even more inspiring than what my Dad was doing. I remember rummaging through my Dad’s record collection for the Bad album everyday after school. It was such a regular thing that I knew the groove in the vinyl for each tune, ‘Man in the Mirror’ being the track I played the most. Like anybody else, you naturally progress through music and you’re tastes change as you do. I came to know and love Hip-Hop in my teens (bit of a latecomer I know) and much of that can be accredited to Nas, he’s the rapper I gravitate towards the most as a listener. There’s something magic about the way he paints pictures with words. I remember a friend lending me ‘Illmatic’ way back when and zoning out for a few days with it. I’m a lover of that Hip-Hop that leaves you pondering; that “rewind and come again” type feeling that’s lacking from a lot of stuff that drops these days. 

How do you go about writing your bars? Do you write your lyrics down or freestyle over a beat and then develop it from there?

It’s a bit of a halfway house between the two really. I’m not really the type of artist that can sit down and just write at length, though sometimes the situation calls for it. A lot of my best bars are reflections that came to me at random moments. I hate forcing material, so instead I ponder on ideas or themes and let them take shape in my mind, before going into the booth and putting it down. It’s kind of like leaving food to marinate before cooking it. It makes for a richer flavour. LOL! That being said though, there have been particular moments (much to the horror of my sound engineer) when I haven’t totally finished writing stuff and a little bit of magic happens in the booth when recording. The actual track “The Bus Stop” was a bit like that.

You have clearly worked hard to get to where you are now when did this journey begin?

My existence in the scene has been cultivated since an early age. That impromptu performance alongside my Dad must’ve triggered something because I’ve been on stage after stage, and written song after song ever since then. Though I may not have always excelled at every stage in that progression, each of those experiences contributed to where I’m at now in someway and nobody said it was going to be easy. The day I started taking music seriously, I remember sitting in college whilst a local rapper dropped some socially aware bars. Being a Grime head, the fact that somebody on these shores could express themselves and their surroundings that way was totally alien to me but I knew wholeheartedly that it was something I wanted do. 

Tell us about your EP ‘The Bus Stop’.

It’s an emotive body of work for me. Reflective of some of the things I’ve gone through over the last couple of years and the range of emotions I experienced whilst doing so. It’s funny how we can wait for something to come along that we think is going to take us somewhere great, but the events or feelings that kick us into gear are completely different from what we expected. Give me some dope beats with a large helping of Soul, and I’ll just let the reality of who I am and how I feel be the fuel that drives the bus.

What are your plans for the rest of 2011?

There are still bits and pieces to make their way out from The Bus Stop. But never one to rest on my laurels, I’ve already started working on my next offering. But my initial thoughts are that I want take my “bus stop” to different regions of the country. Got a fair few places in mind and its all in the works. I spent 3 years in Manchester whilst at Uni and it’s like a second home to me. I’m looking forward to heading back up with the team for a few shows and showing them about how cheap a bus fare can really be. 

Culture clearly has a huge impact on your music and you have African heritage. Do these cultural influences and your heritage filter into your music?

Of course it does. One of the things that I’m constantly saying is that “Music is Reflection of Self” and that heritage is part and parcel of who I am. Me, I’m just a “British Born, African Made” boy born to a Nigerian couple who came over to this country. My parents were really keen on my siblings and I being familiar with our Nigerian culture, our language, and our customs. It was really important to them that we didn’t lose that part of who we are, so for the most part when we were out and about we were all things British & when we were at home we were all things African. We’ve got the best of both worlds I guess. 

If you could work with anyone in the music industry at the moment who would it be and why?

You know what? I just wonder what would happen if you got people like Fela Kuti, Lauryn Hill, & Nneka in a room with the likes of Janelle Monae, Alicia Keys, Common, Nas, Lupe, The Roots, J Dilla…even Kanye. That list becomes endless, but these are heroes for me. I reckon there’s a wealth of incredibly talented individuals out there and it would be great to be considered one of them at some point or just get the opportunity to work with those artistic souls that are still with us. If I had to pick someone out of the batch who’s still alive it’d probably be Alicia Keys, her 2nd album “The Diary of Alicia Keys” resonated with me on a real level.

Fashion goes hand in hand with the Hip-Hop culture. What is your typical attire day to day?

I’m that, backpack wearing, Supra rocking, hoodie covering the whites of my eye mofo, who scares the crap out of you as his 6’4” frame sits next to you at the bus stop. LOL. No joke. I’m a simpleton, I can only go as far as to say I got an affinity with the colour purple, but a tee, jeans and hoodie and I’m away! Loving brands like APE, Kayobi, Disenelo, and every now and again you’ll catch me wearing a slogan like “NothingMoreNothingLess” or “IAmTheNuBlack”. Call it an easy way to make a statement.

Does this attire change when you are performing?

C’mon man…I’m a rapper. I think I can get on with it in what I wear on a day-to-day. Give me a few years in the game; perhaps I’ll start embracing that inner Kanye.

If you could give 3 tips to budding rappers, what would they be?

Feels weird to be giving advice but in true guru like form, here goes:

1. Be MORE willing to invest in yourself and LESS eager to wait for the endorsement of others
2. Be MORE interested in the longevity of your art and LESS concerned with believing the hype.
3. Convey emotion, sometimes it’s LESS about what exactly was said, and MORE about how what was said makes the listener feel.

Finally, what makes AKS FLY?

The understanding that the longest journey starts with the first step, and mine took me to The Bus Stop. Yours should help you meet me there.