At first glance, Akala is someone straight outta hip hop central casting. The often angry child of a broken home, his schooling was punctuated by rows with teachers. After teenage years spent playing football (he was on the schoolboy books of both West Ham United and Wimbledon), he dropped out of college. Aged 12 he saw his best friend's brother get a meat cleaver in the back of the head while sitting in the chair in a barber's shop, a tale touched on in the DoubleThink track Find No Enemy. "What interests me, looking back now, is that nobody stopped cutting hair," he says. "Even though I hadn't seen that before, I just accepted. I'd heard so much and knew so many people who'd been shot or stabbed that it was just a part of life."
So far, so rapper-backstory-clichéd. But it's in the gaps between these de rigeur hip hop CV bullet-points that the real Akala can be found. His step-father, a stage manager at London's Hackney Empire, would sometimes take the pre-teen Akala with him to work: so the wide-eyed kid got to stand in the wings, soaking up Sarafina! and Shakespeare. Despite being put in a special-needs class at six years old - he still doesn't know why - he fed a ferocious intellect with self-taught history and philosophy. His response, at 13, to racist remarks by a teacher was to write to the headmaster and governors to complain.
DoubleThink is partly a concept album inspired by the three classic novels of dystopian fiction: George Orwell's 1984, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, "with a little bit of The Matrix in there too." The record takes its overall tone - the edgy paranoia, the sizzling menace, the spine-tingling tension - from these literary classics and transmutes their atmospheres into musical form. From Welcome to Dystopia's static-laden distortion to Peace's simple, sparse piano accompaniment, via the electro-funk keyboards and metal guitar riffs of Faceless People, the breadth of musical ambition is matched by the rich variety of topics Daley addresses.
“The only way we can ever change anything Is to look in the mirror and to find no enemy”
Race, politics, self-deception and social conditioning are among the recurring themes on a record that presents its concerns as barbed comedic satire. But in tackling those topics Daley finds himself confronting the issue that defined his MOBO Award-winning debut, It's Not a Rumour and the acclaimed follow-up, Freedom Lasso: lamenting the decline of hip hop as a social and political force, angrily restating the genre's credentials as the best, most powerful means of delivering what KRS-ONE called Edutainment.
Edutainment is something Daley knows more about than most. As well as releasing music on his own Illa State record label, Akala (the name means "immovable") is a teacher himself. He recently set up the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company, running successful Bardic workshops in schools. His prowess at communicating effectively with young people has won recognition in unlikely circles: among recent clients for his consultancy work has been the organising committee of the 2012 London Olympics.
His music has always reflected Akala's personal struggles - against ignorance, against racism's divide-and-conquer imprimatur, and against the dumbing-down of the musical form that helped provide him with the answers he needed. "I remember when Wu-Tang Forever came out," he says, casting his mind back to 1998, and the second LP from the Staten Island collective. "And I remember going to buy books because of references I heard on there. I literally studied that album and went away and learned because of it. They weren't some obscure, underground rap group - that was the first rap album to go to Number One in the UK. What made hip hop powerful was its education, its culture, its musicality and its intelligence. Yet immediately after that, it went from being about history and philosophy and culture to being - literally - money, cash, and hoes."
Indeed, Akala's refusal and inability to conform to prevailing stereotypes means that his records are largely ignored by the sections of the media that proclaim to speak authentically of the "urban experience": in that regard, he stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the likes of Saul Williams and Gil Scott Heron, artists who he considers inspirations as well as heroes. But while the message is vital, Akala knows that it has to be delivered wittily and attractively, too: edutainment is mostly entertainment, after all.
So DoubleThink distils these messages in cogent and weighty blasts of musically fierce, lyrically adroit hip hop, but it's also an excitable, effervescent listen. There are, of course, some harrowing moments: in Yours and My Children, a track reflecting three months Daley spent in Brazil, he talks about favela children being killed by police; and that meat cleaver to the head in Find No Enemy isn't the only violent image on a record that refuses to pull any punches. But Akala's unquenchable appetite for intricate wordplay and his teacher's instinctive awareness that heavy topics need to be got across lightly mean that, despite the often serious points, the record is an affirmative and often explosively joyful experience.
There's XXL, which relentlessly chips away at the clichés but has some fun with them at the same time; Peace, a collaboration with the classical pianist Paul Gladstone Reid, MBE, which provides musical and atmospheric contrast to the juddering electro-rooted rap that sits either side of it; and, right at the end - the thought Akala wants you to take away from the album - there's Not That Serious, a jaunty slice of popped-up '80s-style buzz, poking fun at Akala's furrowed-brow reputation without suggesting you shouldn't care about the issues he wants you to consider. At the risk of descending into another one of those pesky clichés, there really is something here for everyone.
Akala touches on race, class, sexism, history, war, hip-hop culture and what it is to live in a world one knows to be inherently unequal, yet rounds it all off not with accusations or anger but inward self-analysis.
"My mum's a white Scottish woman and my dad's a black Jamaican, so for my life not to be about bringing people together would almost be a contradiction in terms," he says. "I want to reach everybody but do it truthfully and honestly. That's got to be your ultimate aim as an artist - that's what the best artists do. I'm not saying I'm there yet, but that's what I aspire to."
2) Lithuanian industrial band on Findesiecle media label.
Bullshit
Akala Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We invaded Iraq cause we were checkin
That's bullshit
If they had weapons we would have kept stepping
Bullshit
Saddam would have bus it with no question
No bullshit
Pretty much every rap record
Black boys killin eachother
Now that's bullshit
Especially cause it's over nothing
Now that's bullshit
I rep my ends and I'm thuggin
Now that's bullshit
Look at what we do to our mothers
Now that's bullshit
Bullshit Politicians talk never do shit
It's bullshit
All of what they feed us in the news
It is bullshit
Plus what they teach us in the schools
It is bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
Bullshit
Politicians talk never do shit
It's bullshit
All of what they feed us in the news
It is bullshit
Plus what they teach us in the schools
It is bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
BULLSHIT
They rob the third world of every cent
Now that's bullshit
Now you got third world debt
Now that's bullshit
You get your cheque there's never nothing left
Now that's bullshit
Then you pay tax on what you spend
Now that's bullshit
Then you even gotta pay tax on your pension
Now that's bullshit
They still wanna take your inheritance
Now that's bullshit
English kids rappin American
Now that's bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
Extending the congestion charge Now that's bullshit
Never fuckin nowhere to park
Now that's bullshit
Most of what you learn in class
Now that's bullshit
Especially regarding the past
Now that's bullshit
Men beating up on their spouse
Now that's bullshit
Rockin jewels but you ain't got a house
Now that's bullshit
Every single syllable that come out your mouth
Now that's bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
Bullshit
Politicians talk never do shit
It's bullshit
All of what they feed us in the news
It is bullshit
Plus what they teach us in the schools
It is bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
Bullshit
Politicians talk never do shit
It's bullshit
All of what they feed us in the news
It is bullshit
Plus what they teach us in the schools
It is bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
Pull me over 5 times in a day
Now that's bullshit
And I got attitude if I have something to say
Now that's bullshit
The wage MPs get paid
Now that's bullshit
They won't give firefighters a raise
Now that's bullshit
Football fans monkey sounds
Now that's bullshit
Black players that didn't speak out
Now that's bullshit
White players that didn't speak out
Now that's bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
Places where kids can't eat
Now that's bullshit
But AK47s are free
Now that's bullshit
Here you go fight for me
Now that's bullshit
And I'll take the minerals please
Now that's bullshit
Traffic wardens getting commission
Now that's bullshit
The motherfuckin weather in Britain
Now that's bullshit
All them weak raps that your spittin
Now that's bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
Bullshit
Politicians talk never do shit
It's bullshit
All of what they feed us in the news
It is bullshit
Plus what they teach us in the schools
It is bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
Bullshit
Politicians talk never do shit
It's bullshit
All of what they feed us in the news
It is bullshit
Plus what they teach us in the schools
It is bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
AIDS comes from Africans fuckin a monkey
Now that's bullshit
Farrakhan banned from the country
Now that's bullshit
Rapists come here and it's lovely
Now that's bullshit
What the fuck is wrong with our government?
Now that's bullshit
Paedophiles get light sentence
Now that's bullshit
Ask yourself why they defend them
Now that's bullshit
Broke niggaz flossin with benzes
Now that's bullshit
The lyrics of Akala's song Bullshit express his frustration with the lies and injustices happening in various aspects of society. The chorus, "It's all bullshit," serves as a all-encompassing statement for the issues he addresses, including the faulty reasons for invading Iraq, the violence within the black community and the misrepresentations in the media and education system. He also touches on economic inequalities, taxation, racism, and government policies.
He criticizes politicians who talk but do not take effective actions to solve problems, the media for feeding misinformation to the public and the education system for whitewashing history. He also highlights social issues like domestic violence and materialism. In the final verse, he confronts the public's apathy towards certain issues like the incarceration of innocent people and the exploitation of third-world countries.
Line by Line Meaning
It's all bullshit
Everything is a lie or deception
We invaded Iraq cause we were checkin
The reason given for invading Iraq is untrue
If they had weapons we would have kept stepping
If Iraq had weapons, the invaders would have continued attacking
Saddam would have bus it with no question
Saddam Hussein would have escaped without resistance
Pretty much every rap record
Now that's bullshit
Many rap lyrics contain falsehood and exaggeration
Black boys killin eachother
Now that's bullshit
Especially cause it's over nothing
Young black men killing each other over trivial disputes is senseless
I rep my ends and I'm thuggin
Now that's bullshit
Glorifying and promoting violent behavior in a community is wrong
Look at what we do to our mothers
Now that's bullshit
Disrespecting and mistreating mothers is unacceptable
Bullshit Politicians talk never do shit
It's bullshit
Politicians making promises without taking any action is dishonest
All of what they feed us in the news
It is bullshit
Most news is biased or manipulated to fit a certain narrative
Plus what they teach us in the schools
It is bullshit
School curriculums often only present one perspective or leave out important information
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
The war is a pointless and unjust conflict
They rob the third world of every cent
Now that's bullshit
Now you got third world debt
Now that's bullshit
Exploiting the resources and labor of poorer countries is immoral and leads to debt and poverty
You get your cheque there's never nothing left
Now that's bullshit
Low wages and high taxes make it difficult for people to make ends meet
Then you pay tax on what you spend
Now that's bullshit
Then you even gotta pay tax on your pension
Now that's bullshit
They still wanna take your inheritance
Now that's bullshit
Taxation can feel unfair and excessive, with little regard for personal finances or saving
English kids rappin American
Now that's bullshit
Copying and appropriating another culture's music without due credit or understanding is wrong
Extending the congestion charge
Now that's bullshit
Never fuckin nowhere to park
Now that's bullshit
Broader and more costly policies to decrease traffic and emissions don't always address individual needs or demands
Most of what you learn in class
Now that's bullshit
Especially regarding the past
Now that's bullshit
Limited or biased curriculum in schools undermines education and understanding of history
Men beating up on their spouse
Now that's bullshit
Domestic violence is unacceptable and should not be tolerated
Rockin jewels but you ain't got a house
Now that's bullshit
Displaying material wealth without investing in basic needs like housing is misguided
Every single syllable that come out your mouth
Now that's bullshit
Speaking without thought or honesty is problematic and unproductive
Pull me over 5 times in a day
Now that's bullshit
And I got attitude if I have something to say
Now that's bullshit
Racial profiling by law enforcement and its disregard for individual rights is unacceptable
The wage MPs get paid
Now that's bullshit
They won't give firefighters a raise
Now that's bullshit
Certain individuals are paid exorbitant amounts while others, like public servants, struggle to earn a living wage
Football fans monkey sounds
Now that's bullshit
Black players that didn't speak out
Now that's bullshit
White players that didn't speak out
Now that's bullshit
Racism in sports and the failure of players to speak out against it is wrong
Places where kids can't eat
Now that's bullshit
But AK47s are free
Now that's bullshit
Here you go fight for me
Now that's bullshit
And I'll take the minerals please
Now that's bullshit
Problems like hunger and violence are rampant in many parts of the world, while arms dealers and corporations profit from these crises
Traffic wardens getting commission
Now that's bullshit
The motherfuckin weather in Britain
Now that's bullshit
All them weak raps that your spittin
Now that's bullshit
Even trivial annoyances like bad weather or bad music can feel like an insult after all the other injustices in the world
AIDS comes from Africans fuckin a monkey
Now that's bullshit
Farrakhan banned from the country
Now that's bullshit
Rapists come here and it's lovely
Now that's bullshit
What the fuck is wrong with our government?
Now that's bullshit
Paedophiles get light sentence
Now that's bullshit
Ask yourself why they defend them
Now that's bullshit
Broke niggaz flossin with benzes
Now that's bullshit
Multiple examples of injustice perpetrated by governments and society, which are unacceptable
Bullshit
Politicians talk never do shit
It's bullshit
All of what they feed us in the news
It is bullshit
Plus what they teach us in the schools
It is bullshit
The war's bullshit
It's all bullshit
The repetition of earlier lines, emphasizing the multiple levels of systemic deception and inaction in society
Contributed by Benjamin A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
MGTOWTakeru
Guy spits words of truth , yet this song doesnt have a million views, now thats bullshit.
Native Dee
14 years on still relevant 🙏
Wesley Harding
First comment in 5 years!!!!! WTF?? I know this tune is about 12 years old now but every word of it is still relevant today (some of it even more so!) Akala is on my TV right now, doing a documentary about Homer's Odyssey. It made me think about this tune, how great it is and how I hadn't heard it in ages. I love it!!! Akala is not only a very talented rapper and musician but he's a fiercely intelligent and knowledgeable guy. Who should be on TV much more often. Akala, if you read this (which I doubt) or if anybody who reads this comment knows him. How about doing Bullshit part 2? All the shit that has happened in this world since this tune was recorded?!! Man, there's got to be enough material for Bullshit, the album! Double album? Bullshit volumes 1 to 10! Anyway, Akala: NUFF RESPECT !!!!!!!
IWTBF
YES. Spread it , share it. I remember this at the time and wow it’s crazy 15 years on
IWTBF
lol part 2 be so similar and still relevant
Suchislife1916
2020 still banging
AydinHero
2022 still banging
Jordan Babcock
I really hope this guy keeps making music. I thought he was new but obviously I am way late to the party. I hope he isn't anywhere near retirement. This guy is able to educate and entertain at the same time in a way that most are not able to. An educated mind able to put that information into art and share it with those that don't know what they don't know.
Kyan Ward
Don't worry this guy is still alive and kicking, making amazing new stuff as I write this
Vincent Wagg
Big ups 14 years later and still relevant, still killing it. One of the most talented artists, right here.