Introducing Shola Ajose AKA Afrikan Boy – Grime artist, lyricist and collaborator on Showdown, our newest project.
From Grime to Afrobeat, Hip-Hop to Spoken Word, Afrikan Boy’s music shifts genres effortlessly. Bass heavy sounds of urban London, rhythmic Nigerian beats and playful, political lyrics make for a sound that is undeniably Afrikan Boy.
Showdown is Upswing’s newest circus project, co-produced with Chamäleon Berlin and premiering there in February 2024. The show will follow 7 hopeful acrobats as they battle their way to the ‘top’, in a playful satire that is equal parts talent show, beauty contest and The Hunger Games in style.
Afrikan Boy is on board as our composer and music maker. Mixing original music with classic old school tracks, he’ll be developing an uplifting and energising score for the project that will make you want to switch on and tune in.
About Afrikan Boy’s work
Afrikan Boy came to attention as a teenager, with the unforgettable smash ‘One Day I Went to Lidl’. The grime-infused track caught the ear of fellow British rapper, visual artist and activist M.I.A., that led to guest appearances on her critically acclaimed and Grammy-nominated album Kala (2007).
Over the last decade, Afrikan Boy has cultivated a worldwide fan base from his early days as a Grime MC. ‘I’m Excited’, a later collaboration with US hip hop veteran DJ Shadow, was crowned ‘Hottest Record in the World!’ by aficionado Zane Lowe.
An established international artist, who is accompanied on stage by a full band, an Afrikan Boy performance will challenge any other when it comes to the energy and passion displayed on stage, which he has shared with the likes of Paul McCartney, John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Baaba Maal, Damon Albarn, Seun and Femi Kuti, The Noisettes, Fatoumata Diawara and Mark Ronson, to name a few.
Stay up to date with Afrikan Boy’s work on his Instagram
Photos by Peter Adeusi