Origin
A.K.I.R.
The acronym and the promise to Always Keep It Real, gave him a name and a prophecy to live by. AKIR grew up throughout New York City, DC, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Atlanta, and Maryland, theses vast surroundings contributed to his diversified sound and ability to switch it up at any style and dialect that relates to people from all walks of life.
Early Career
AKIR first entered the hip-hop scene as an on-air personality with WNMH 97.9 (Mass.) from 1994 to 1996. In 1998, he ranked 2nd 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 (studio engineer and producer for immortal technique and Viper Records) At the end of 2001 One Enterprises, Ltd (A Production company Akir co-owns) released Street Edition Vol. 1& 2 which have moved over 15,000 copies to date.
Collaborations
Akir co-produced for Immortal Technique's, Revolutionary Vol.1. And was featured on the immensely popular "One" remix on Revolutionary volume 2. In November 05 he and 10 other up and coming emcees formed the supergroup The Reavers, they released the album Terror Firma. Then in March 06 One Enterprises, Viper Records and, Fatbeats Distribution came together to release his long awaited album Legacy. featuring guest appearances by Jean Grae, Poison Penn, Hasan Salam, Mojo of Dujeous, and Immortal Technique.
Accolades
The material from Legacy helped AKIR received the honor of Source Magazines (Unsigned Hype-Jan/ Feb 05 & Off The Radar-April 06), XXLs (Chairmans Choice-Oct. 05 & Show and Prove-June 06). The magazine exposure continued as Mecca 5star apparel began to launch an ad campaign (magazines, billboards, etc) shot by Dave Meyers featuring AKIR. Always looking to improve, in a joint venture with film producers FatKings, the video for vinyl single "Treason" Ft. Immortal Technique was successfully produced and released. The response has been phenominal over 150,000 collective views on youtube.com. Based on the albums reviews and accolades BabyGrande/Koch partnered up to re-release "Legacy" in the summer of 07 followed by a tour that fall whenAkir opened for Redman in over 20 citys across the US.
Touring
Akir has completed a total of: 4 international tours, 8 domestic tours, 600+ shows including Amsterdam, Denmark, London, Morocco, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and, Venezuela. He has performed with a variety of acts such as: Nas, Kool G. Rap, Mos Def, Styles P, KRS-1, Ghostface, The Game, Talib Kweli, Saigon, Dead Prez, Little Brother, Jean Grae, Masta Ace, Wordsworth, Vast Aire, Brother Ali, and Immortal Technique.
Lineage
In addition to AKIR's vast exposure to varied East Coast flavors, his lyrical influences include: the finesse of
SLICK RICK, the mellow vibe and consistent originality of Q-TIP, the smooth delivery and GQ style of BIG DADDY KANE, the complexity and poeticism of NAS, the rapid fire flow and intensity of KOOL G RAP and, the lyricism of RAKIM. AKIR's vocals are, to say the least, persuasive, melodious, and addictive. His flow is compelling and vividly euphonic with lyrics that are a testament to hip-hop in its purest form.
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