Akir
Encyclopedia
Akir is an African-American hip hop
artist, producer and songwriter known for his complex lyrics and social-political content. His name is an acronym for Always Keep It Real. He is also the co-founder of One Enterprises.
station, WNMH
, from 1994 to 1996. In 1998, he ranked second out of 50 in Howard University's
Verbal Armageddon, MC competition. Akir sought to improve his musical talent and began to focus on production. Collaborating with his brother and business partner SouthPaw, he co-produced one track on Immortal Technique
's Revolutionary Vol. 1
. Soon after, Akir released his first song, "Best Friend", on DJ N'finit's mix CD, The Blockbuster Vol. 1, through his own production company, One Enterprises.
In November 2005, Akir and ten other up and coming emcees formed the group The Reavers, and released the album Terror Firma. Soon after, One Enterprises and Viper Records joined to release Akir's debut solo album, Legacy. Soon after the release of Legacy, Akir was featured in The Source
s Unsigned Hype sidebar in the January/February 2005 issue, and the "Off The Radar" spotlight in the April 2006 issue. Akir was also featured in XXL
magazine's Chairman's Choice in the October 2005 issue, and Show and Prove spotlight in the June 2006 issue. In 2006, Akir appeared as a model for Mecca 5star apparel, appearing in ad campaigns in magazines and billboards.
Akir has completed 6 international tours (Rock the Bells 2006-2008, Vans Warped Tour
2004, Fort Minor 2006, Redman Tour Fall 2007), 9 domestic tours and over 500 shows.
Additionally, Akir has been involved with the Flocabulary
project collaborating with 9th Wonder
on a track to transform the story of Romeo and Juliet
into a hip hop song for school curriculums. He was also referenced in one of their texts called The Rappers Handbook.
In 2007, One Enterprises and Viper Records in partnership with Koch Distribution
reissued Akir's second album Legacy
.
In 2008 he was made the head of artist relations at the Hip Hop Caucus
during the Respect My Vote '08 campaign which featured such celebrities as DJ Green Lantern
, TI
, Maino
, Dawn Richard, and Pharoahe Monch
.
He's currently working with at risk youth teaching writing, production, and recording with the non-profit organization Art Start.
Akir is also a member of a production/writing team called The Boiler Room and is part of a hip-hop activist collective called Rebel Army (a.k.a. Rebel Armz) Including: Immortal Technique
, Poison Pen, Diabolic
, Swave Sevah, Da Circle (Slim & Fatz), Hasan Salaam
, CF, DJ Static, SouthPaw, and DJ GI Joe.
In the fall of 2009 he released a mixtape entitled The Secret by DJ Static and Statik Selektah. His next album will be entitled The Plan and is scheduled for release in Spring 2010.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist, producer and songwriter known for his complex lyrics and social-political content. His name is an acronym for Always Keep It Real. He is also the co-founder of One Enterprises.
Biography
Akir first entered the hip hop scene as an on-air personality at the high school radioHigh school radio
High school radio within the United States is almost as old as radio broadcasting itself. Simply defined as a radio station, with its studios located at a high school and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision, stations fitting this description existed in the mid-1920s...
station, WNMH
WNMH
WNMH is a high school radio station broadcasting a Variety format. Licensed to Northfield, Massachusetts, USA. The station is currently owned by Northfield Mount Hermon School and features programing from ABC Radio ....
, from 1994 to 1996. In 1998, he ranked second out of 50 in Howard University's
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
Verbal Armageddon, MC competition. Akir sought to improve his musical talent and began to focus on production. Collaborating with his brother and business partner SouthPaw, he co-produced one track on Immortal Technique
Immortal Technique
Felipe Andres Coronel , better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper of Afro-Peruvian descent as well as an urban activist. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics...
's Revolutionary Vol. 1
Revolutionary Vol. 1
Revolutionary Vol. 1 is the debut album by rapper Immortal Technique in 2001, and re-pressed in 2004. The first edition had no distribution and no bar code; it was sold by the artist on the streets and at his shows. The album re-press was manufactured with a bar code and is being distributed...
. Soon after, Akir released his first song, "Best Friend", on DJ N'finit's mix CD, The Blockbuster Vol. 1, through his own production company, One Enterprises.
In November 2005, Akir and ten other up and coming emcees formed the group The Reavers, and released the album Terror Firma. Soon after, One Enterprises and Viper Records joined to release Akir's debut solo album, Legacy. Soon after the release of Legacy, Akir was featured in The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
s Unsigned Hype sidebar in the January/February 2005 issue, and the "Off The Radar" spotlight in the April 2006 issue. Akir was also featured in XXL
XXL (magazine)
XXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.In 1997, XXL was founded by former Source staffers as well as other Harris Publication employees, who wanted to create their own magazine about the hip-hop music and culture using the model developed by the founders of The Source...
magazine's Chairman's Choice in the October 2005 issue, and Show and Prove spotlight in the June 2006 issue. In 2006, Akir appeared as a model for Mecca 5star apparel, appearing in ad campaigns in magazines and billboards.
Akir has completed 6 international tours (Rock the Bells 2006-2008, Vans Warped Tour
Warped Tour
The Warped Tour is a touring music and extreme sports festival. The tour is held in venues such as parking lots or fields upon which the stages and other structures are erected. The BMX/skateboarding shoe manufacturer Vans, among others, has sponsored the tour every year since 1995, and it is...
2004, Fort Minor 2006, Redman Tour Fall 2007), 9 domestic tours and over 500 shows.
Additionally, Akir has been involved with the Flocabulary
Flocabulary
Flocabulary is a publishing company that produces educational hip hop music and accompanying books for use in the classroom. Founded in 2004 by Blake Harrison and Alex Rappaport, the company takes a nontraditional approach to teaching vocabulary and United States history by integrating content into...
project collaborating with 9th Wonder
9th Wonder
Patrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, professor, and lyricist from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J...
on a track to transform the story of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
into a hip hop song for school curriculums. He was also referenced in one of their texts called The Rappers Handbook.
In 2007, One Enterprises and Viper Records in partnership with Koch Distribution
Koch Distribution
E1 Entertainment Distribution is the record manufacturing and distribution arm of E1 Entertainment LP.Notable for having led the independent sector with the largest number of Billboard-charting titles, over 150 Koch distributed titles enjoyed success on various Billboard charts in 2003...
reissued Akir's second album Legacy
Legacy (Akir album)
Legacy is the debut album from underground hip hop artist Akir, released in 2006 on Viper Records. Guest performers on the album include Immortal Technique and Jean Grae. Producers include SouthPaw, Akir, and Apex, and the album was executive produced by Immortal Technique...
.
In 2008 he was made the head of artist relations at the Hip Hop Caucus
Hip Hop Caucus
The Hip Hop Caucus is a national, non-profit organization in the United States, which aims to promote political activism for young U.S. voters using hip-hop music and culture....
during the Respect My Vote '08 campaign which featured such celebrities as DJ Green Lantern
DJ Green Lantern
James D'Agostino , better known by his stage name DJ Green Lantern, is an American-Italian-Puerto Rican DJ and hip hop music producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by Eminem to become the official DJ for Shady Records after DJ Head stepped down for undisclosed reasons...
, TI
TI
TI, Ti, ti or T.I. may refer to:* Acronis True Image, a disk imaging program* Cordyline fruticosa, a plant known as Ti by the Polynesians* Taiwan independence, a political movement* Thermal instability* Thermodynamic integration...
, Maino
Maino
Maino is an American rapper from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York.-Early life:...
, Dawn Richard, and Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch
Pharoahe Monch is an American hip hop artist. He is known for his complex lyrics, complex delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhyme schemes.-Biography:...
.
He's currently working with at risk youth teaching writing, production, and recording with the non-profit organization Art Start.
Akir is also a member of a production/writing team called The Boiler Room and is part of a hip-hop activist collective called Rebel Army (a.k.a. Rebel Armz) Including: Immortal Technique
Immortal Technique
Felipe Andres Coronel , better known by the stage name Immortal Technique, is an American rapper of Afro-Peruvian descent as well as an urban activist. He was born in Lima, Peru and raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on controversial issues in global politics...
, Poison Pen, Diabolic
Diabolic (rap artist)
Sean George, better known by his stage name Diabolic, is an American rapper from Huntington Station, Long Island, New York. He started receiving fame on the hidden track after Immortal Technique's song 'Dance With The Devil' on Immortal Technique's debut album, Revolutionary Vol. 1...
, Swave Sevah, Da Circle (Slim & Fatz), Hasan Salaam
Hasan Salaam
Hasan Salaam is a rapper born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. A Muslim whose father is Caucasian and whose mother is Black, his lyrics touch on such subjects as "post-colonial exploitation of African culture", "the African diaspora", and "the true Islamic jihad"...
, CF, DJ Static, SouthPaw, and DJ GI Joe.
In the fall of 2009 he released a mixtape entitled The Secret by DJ Static and Statik Selektah. His next album will be entitled The Plan and is scheduled for release in Spring 2010.
Albums
- Street Edition Volumes 1 & 2 (2003, One Enterprises)
- LegacyLegacy (Akir album)Legacy is the debut album from underground hip hop artist Akir, released in 2006 on Viper Records. Guest performers on the album include Immortal Technique and Jean Grae. Producers include SouthPaw, Akir, and Apex, and the album was executive produced by Immortal Technique...
(2006, Viper) - Supporter Sundays (2011)