Victor “Victizzle” Akata is a 22 year old rap/hip hop/gospel artist hailing from Londonand has already achieved a lot in the music industry. He won a MOBO in 2009 and has also been nominated for a UMA. He has performed at venues around the world and his track iSing has racked up an impressive 100,000 views on YouTube, undoubtedly one of the most popular tracks to be released in the UK gospel scene.
This particular track shows no trace of his church gospel background however, being very much a pure piece of rap/hip hop, beginning with just a simple but effective beat. Victizzle’s style makes itself known as soon as he starts rapping, with a confident, flowing delivery that brought to mind Dizzee Rascal. It also reminded me of Eminem’s first single My Name Is, as it is highly self-referencing and serves as an introduction to his sound and style.
His self-confidence and conviction shows in lines like ‘ain’t nobody freezing my heat….”. His rhymes flow thick and fast, often inventive and humorous, again like Eminem. There is no doubting his London roots however, rapping in his strong native accent. I loved the swirling computer game-style synth riff that runs throughout, along with the bouncy xylophone-type melody that weaves in and out, adding musical flavour.
Most importantly, the track has an incredibly catchy chorus hook that you will be humming for days, which bodes well for its chart potential. Overall, this sounds to me like Victizzle might have his breakthrough single on his hands and I think he has the makings of being a huge British rap star, especially as he is musically versatile. Definitely one to watch for in the future.
By Alex Faulkner
