Olushola Ajose is better known as Afrikan Boy. I first got a taste of him on ‘Hussel’, one of my most beloved tracks on M.I.A.’s ‘Kala’, where he made a feature appearance. He talks it out in a reassuringly authentic sounding rolling gait about how “If you think it’s tough now // Come to Africa”. Word.
I knew I missed a flight to Brazil for a reason – to hang out with Shola on yet another Central London rooftop. He is the perfect study in cross cultural contexts; situationally and of course musically. And being under the wing of M(ummy).I.A. is also another fascinating aspect to this kid wonder who's crossing all kinds of boundaries. There’s no indication that the owner of the savvy, world-weary spit is barely out of his teens; his lyrics totally re-contextualise his African origins into an ever so international yet inherently London vernacular.
Self assured and confident in his ideas of the world and his place in it, this 20 year old's head is screwed firmly on facing forward, yet the weight of where he comes from is there too; and neither does he forget the weight of where he’s going – Afrikan Boy (“eh eh, you know I’m big in Mozambique” as M.I.A. says) is going global.
Interview after the jump + mp3s!
