Who is Akala? Meet the British rapper with a famous musician sister who has become Angelina Jolie’s rock after split from Brad Pitt – after swapping music for political activism
Angelina Jolie caused a stir when she left a hotel in Venice with British rapper Akala on Wednesday.
The duo seemed to spark rumors of a romance when they appeared together with In contact He claims the 49-year-old Hollywood star has been an “informal” political activist for more than a year.
However, it is now being reported that the two are just friends and that Akala, 40, has become the star’s rock after her split from Brad Pitt, as they grow closer through their shared passions.
Akala has been included in the annual Powerlist of the 100 most influential Black Britons in the UK. She recently featured in the 2021 edition.
But who is Akala?
Meet British rapper Akala with a famous musician sister who has become Angelina Jolie’s rock after her split from Brad Pitt – after she traded music for political activism
The duo seemed to spark romance rumors when they appeared together at the Venice Festival on Wednesday, but they are reportedly just good friends
Akala, 40, — born Kingslee James McLean Daley — started out as a rapper before turning to political activism and becoming an author.
He was originally born in West Sussex to a Scottish mother and a Jamaican father, who separated before his birth.
His older sister is also the famous singer and rapper Ms. Dynamite.
Ms Dynamite, 43 – real name Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley – scored a string of hits in the early 2000s with her debut album A Little Deeper, which won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize.
Akala grew up in Camden and was placed in a special group at his primary school for children with learning difficulties, where English was their second language.
Despite this, Akala achieved ten GCSE exams and even took maths a year early.
He previously said: ‘I was in the top one per cent of GCSEs in the country. I got 100 per cent in my English exam. In year nine my mates start bitching about each other…’
Akala admitted that he first saw a friend being attacked with a cleaver in his skull at age 12. He later carried a knife himself for a while.
He devoted his career to criticizing race, class, and social issues.
Akala, 40, — born Kingslee James McLean Daley — started out as a rapper before turning to political activism and authorship. His older sister is also the famous singer and rapper Ms. Dynamite (pictured in 2009)
Akala has dedicated his career to speaking out on race, class and social issues
Akala has also been incredibly open about his political views and was a staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn during the 2017 and 2019 general elections
His breakthrough album It’s Not a Rumour, released in 2006, earned him a MOBO Award for Best Hip Hop Act and he went on to release two more albums: Freedom Lasso (2007) and Double Think (2010).
He has also performed at various festivals in the UK including Wireless, Glastonbury, Reading, Leeds and Parklife.
In addition to music, Akala is also an author. In 2018, he published his book Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, which is part biography and part polemic on race and class.
Akala has also been exceptionally outspoken about his political views and was a staunch supporter of Jeremy Corbyn during the 2017 and 2019 general elections.
Akala criticised the idea that more police and tougher sentences are enough to combat knife crime, saying the epidemic is due to a lack of education and poverty.
In 2019, he appeared on Channel 4 News and said that gang violence was “not new” but had been around for 150 to 200 years, and that “moral panic” was pushing politicians towards the wrong solutions.
‘The social indicators of that violence have remained the same. They are poverty, domestic violence and a lack of education, especially expulsion from school.’
In 2009, he also founded The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company, a musical theatre production company that combines the work of William Shakespeare with that of contemporary hip-hop artists.
Akala is currently in a relationship with Chanelle Newman, co-founder and executive producer of Akala’s music and the Hip-hop Shakespeare Company.
Akala and Angelina seem to have struck up a friendship over their shared interests in activism and a shared passion for travel and culture
Akala is currently in a relationship with Chanelle Newman, co-founder and executive producer of Akala’s music and the Hip-hop Shakespeare Company (pictured 2019)
Ms Dynamite, 43 – real name Niomi Arleen McLean-Daley – scored a string of hits in the early 2000s with her debut album A Little Deeper, which won the prestigious Mercury Music Prize (pictured in 2007)
Akala is said to have been friends with Angelina for over a year, after meeting the actress and her daughters Zahara, 19, and Shiloh, 18, at the Calabash Literary Festival in Jamaica in May last year.
It appears the two have become friends through their shared interest in activism and their shared passion for travel and culture.
Akala is also said to get along well with her children. In addition to Zahara and Shiloh, Angelina and ex-husband Brad Pitt have sons Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and 15-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.
Amid rumors that the couple were in a relationship, a source said People: ‘She and Akala are not in a relationship. She is friends with him and his partner, Chanelle, who was also there.’
According to reports, Angelina is currently single and not in a serious relationship.
The source added: ‘They share the same passion when it comes to social and humanitarian causes.
“They’ve done several collaborations over the years that focus on global issues like human rights. Angie speaks very highly of him.”