Akira the Don
Encyclopedia
Akira The Don is an independent British musician. Born in West Bromwich
and raised in North Wales
, in recent years he has lived in Hackney
, East London.
His music and production traverses the boundaries between Pop, Hip-Hop, Indie and Dance. He lists influences including Ice Cube
, Billy Bragg
, Morrissey
and the Wu Tang Clan. His debut album When We Were Young was produced by Danny Saber
(U2
, Black Grape
), James Brown (NIN
, Ash) and Emile (50 Cent
).
In May 2011, he released his second LP, The Life Equation. The album is co-produced with Stephen Hague
and features collaborations with Gruff Rhys
(of Super Furry Animals
) and Envy. A collaborative mixtape between Akira and Gonzales
is currently in the works.
, along with songs for Mister Lacey, Envy
, Mary Turner, Big Narstie, Littles, Marvin The Martian
, Son Of King Rebel, and Pixel.
Akira rapped on and co-produced a remix of a track called Bang with Temposhark
in 2008 which appeared on an XLR8R
magazine covermount CD. Recent credits include a remix of "Great Britain" by dan le sac vs Scroobius Pip
with regular collaborator Joey2tits.
West Bromwich
West Bromwich is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands, England. It is north west of Birmingham lying on the A41 London-to-Birkenhead road. West Bromwich is part of the Black Country...
and raised in North Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, in recent years he has lived in Hackney
London Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, East London.
His music and production traverses the boundaries between Pop, Hip-Hop, Indie and Dance. He lists influences including Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
, Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
, Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
and the Wu Tang Clan. His debut album When We Were Young was produced by Danny Saber
Danny Saber
Danny Saber is a Los Angeles, California musician, audio engineer, record producer, and remixer. A former member of Black Grape and Agent Provocateur, Saber plays guitar, bass, organ, and keyboards, and is also a prominent Los Angeles DJ....
(U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Black Grape
Black Grape
Black Grape were a 1990s rock band from England, featuring former members of Happy Mondays. The group's music was funky and eclectic, using varied instrumentation and samples.-History:...
), James Brown (NIN
Nin
Nin may refer to:* Nine Inch Nails, an American industrial rock band* NIN , a Serbian political magazine* NIN , the Sumerian sign for lady* NIN , a human gene* Nion or Nin, a letter in the Ogham alphabet...
, Ash) and Emile (50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
).
In May 2011, he released his second LP, The Life Equation. The album is co-produced with Stephen Hague
Stephen Hague
Stephen Hague is an American music producer most active with various British acts in the 1980s. He was an influential figure in the synthpop movement.-Early career:...
and features collaborations with Gruff Rhys
Gruff Rhys
Gruffydd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is a Welsh musician, performing solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals who obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He also most recently formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip. Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008...
(of Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals
Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band that lean towards psychedelic rock and electronic experimentation. Since their formation in Cardiff, Wales in 1993, the band has consisted of Gruff Rhys , Huw Bunford , Guto Pryce , Cian Ciaran and Dafydd Ieuan Super Furry Animals are a Welsh rock band...
) and Envy. A collaborative mixtape between Akira and Gonzales
Gonzales (musician)
Gonzales, , is a Grammy-nominated Canadian musician currently residing in Paris, France. Though best known for his first MC and electro albums, he is also a pianist, producer, and songwriter....
is currently in the works.
Production
Akira has produced songs for a number of artists including two top forty hits for Lethal BizzleLethal Bizzle
Lethal Bizzle, also known as Lethal B , is a Ghanaian British rapper. His songs are known to satirise modern Gangsta rap; much of the humour comes from the adoption of hip-hop style and language...
, along with songs for Mister Lacey, Envy
, Mary Turner, Big Narstie, Littles, Marvin The Martian
Marv The Marsh
Marv the Marsh, also known as Marvin the Martian, is an English rapper. who is largely credited as the inventor of the musical genre grindie. Having sampled Art Brut's "Emily Kane" to create 'Stay off the Kane' many journalists coined the term Grindie, to mean the fusion of grime and indie music...
, Son Of King Rebel, and Pixel.
Akira rapped on and co-produced a remix of a track called Bang with Temposhark
Temposhark
Temposhark is an English electronic rock band, formed in London and Brighton by singer-songwriter Robert Diament. Temposhark are best known for their songs Bye Bye Baby, Joy, It's Better To Have Loved and Not That Big; a duet with singer Imogen Heap which appears on their 2008 debut album The...
in 2008 which appeared on an XLR8R
XLR8R
XLR8R is a magazine and website thatcovers music, culture, style, and technology. It was founded as anewsprint ‘zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Seattle; themagazine currently has offices in San Francisco and New York...
magazine covermount CD. Recent credits include a remix of "Great Britain" by dan le sac vs Scroobius Pip
Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip
dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip are a hip-hop duo, combining electronic beats with sung, spoken, and rapped lyrics. The pair are Daniel Stephens , and David Peter Meads...
with regular collaborator Joey2tits.
Discography
| Release Date | Title | Release Type | Additional Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2004 | Akira The Don's First EP | EP | |
| May 2005 | AAA EP | EP | |
| Oct 2005 | Clones (Featuring Bashy Bashy Ashley Thomas , better known by his stage name Bashy, is an English recording artist and actor. He rose to prominence in 2007 after the release of his controversial track "Black Boys".-Early life:... ) |
Single (CD / 7") | Samples Alice Cooper's Alice Cooper Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades... "Clones" |
| Feb 2006 | Five And A Half Songs About Love | EP | |
| Sept 2006 | Oh! (What A Glorious Thing) / Boom (Smash Stuff) | Double A-Side Single | Featuring Why Lout? Why Lout? Why Lout? are a British hip-hop group from South-London. Members Marv The Marsh, Jack Nimble, Dego Brown and Pixel have released two mixtapes ' 'Cause It's Time..' and 'It's Been Time!!'... |
| Nov 2006 | When We Were Young | Album | Debut LP |
| Dec 2006 | All I Want For Christmas Is You (And World Peace) EP | EP | |
| Mar 2007 | Hypocrite (Radio Edit) | Single | |
| Jun 2007 | Stunners 130 | Mixtape | Featuring Wade Crescent |
| Feb 2008 | Thieving | Mixtape | |
| May 2009 | The Omega Sanction | Mixtape | Featuring Martin Carr Martin Carr Martin Carr , is a British musician and writer who was the chief songwriter and lead guitarist with the British band, The Boo Radleys.- Life and career :... |
| Oct 2009 | I Am Not Dead (YEAH!) | EP | Featuring Gruff Rhys Gruff Rhys Gruffydd Maredudd Bowen Rhys is a Welsh musician, performing solo and with several bands, including Super Furry Animals who obtained mainstream success in the 1990s. He also most recently formed the electro-pop outfit Neon Neon with Boom Bip. Their album Stainless Style was nominated for the 2008... |
| Nov 2010 | The Kidnapping of Akira The Don | Album | Featuring Joey2Tits |
| April 2011 | Living In The Future | Compilation Album | Tracks picked by fans. |
| 16 May 2011 | The Life Equation | Album | Co-produced and mixed by Stephen Hague Stephen Hague Stephen Hague is an American music producer most active with various British acts in the 1980s. He was an influential figure in the synthpop movement.-Early career:... . |
| 11 Sept 2011 | Babydoll | Single | Featuring Chilly Gonzales on the Remix |
Guest Appearances
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "All The Wrong Places" | Mothboy | The Fears |
| 2006 | "Jerusalem" | Bravecaptain | Distractions |
| "I Can See Cities" | Mothboy | Deviance | |
| "Down" | Mothboy, Jeres, The Son Of King Rebel, & Soraya Mir | ||
| "Oh! (What A Glorious Thing)" | My Super Ex-Girlfriend My Super Ex-Girlfriend My Super Ex-Girlfriend is a 2006 American romantic comedy superhero film, directed by Ivan Reitman and stars Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson with Anna Faris, Eddie Izzard, Rainn Wilson, and Wanda Sykes.-Plot:... (Soundtrack) |
||
| 2007 | "Diamonds" | Big Narstie | Hey It's That Fat Guy! |
| "Still" | |||
| 2010 | "Great Britain (Akira the Don Vs Joey2Tits Remix)" | Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobius Pip dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip are a hip-hop duo, combining electronic beats with sung, spoken, and rapped lyrics. The pair are Daniel Stephens , and David Peter Meads... |
Great Britain / Sick Tonight EP |
| "Johnny Nemo" | Mothboy | Bunny |