Afrikan Boy - Turbine Hall festival
Afrikan Boy seated - Turbine Hall festival
Live performance by Grime/HipHop/AfroPop artist Afrikan Boy, fusing London grime and classic sounds from Nigeria, reflecting his identity.
Biography
There's no identity crisis in the music of Olushola Ajose. Performing under the name Afrikan Boy, he makes music that totally reflects his life experience, brilliantly fusing the sounds of grime of his south-east London manor with the classic sound of the Nigeria of his parents – most effectively on his recent single Hit 'Em Up that recalibrates Fela Kuti for the here and now. As a teenager, he first came to attention with the track One Day I Went To Lidl, a hopelessly catchy tune chronicling successive shoplifting excursions to the aforementioned budget supermarket. Among those paying attention was MIA who took him out on the road on a couple of her world tours. He's since contributed to the work of DJ Shadow, while also bagging a window seat aboard the Africa Express alongside the likes of Baaba Maal, Femi Kuti, Damon Albarn and Fatoumata Diawara. And all this by the grand old age of 26.