Rapper, Academic, Public Speaker, Writer and Activist Akala was born in Kentish Town, London in 1983. He was introduced to radical Black thinkers and Black history by his Mother when he was younger, and ever since has been vocal about issues around race and class. In his popular book Natives (2018), Akala highlights shared problems faced by African communities worldwide, looking at privilege, inequality race, and class and how they work together. Alongside several other achievements, Akala has also recieved honorary degrees from Oxford Brookes and Brighton Universities.