By the age of 12 he had met Angela DavisAn American Marxist and feminist activist, philosopher, academic and author, born in 1944. and jazz musician Hugh Masekala - and witnessed a stabbing. In his own words, he says "When you experience violence growing up, it changes something inside you." 

Akala was born Kingslee James McLean Daley to a Scottish mother and Jamaican father. He grew up in a working-class London neighbourhood and experienced poverty and violence firsthand. These experiences shaped his worldview and influenced his music.

Daley began rapping in his early teens, taking on the stage name of Akala. In 2005, he released his debut album The Journey, which was critically acclaimed.

Akala's songs often feature the themes of race and class, referencing such revolutionary figures as Malcolm XA contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr, he believed that African Americans must be willing to use violence in order to achieve their political ends. He was murdered in 1965., Patrice LumumbaAn independence leader and the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1960. and Marcus GarveyA Jamaican political activist who died in 1940. He was a leader of the Pan-Africanism movement. . Through his music and his writing Akala hopes to raise awareness and understand the challenges that young, Black people face in society. 

"The better young people from poor backgrounds, and particularly young Black boys, understand the hurdles that are inevitably going to form in front of them, the easier they can jump over them."

In 2018, he published his first book, Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of an Empire - a memoirNon-fiction writing based on the author's memories. and a social commentary on race, class and inequality in Britain. It quickly became a bestseller and was shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing.

Akala describes his own upbringing as being "materially poor but culturally rich". His mother sent him to a Pan-AfricanPan-Africanism is a movement to connect and unify people worldwide of African descent. Saturday school¹. His stepfather was the stage manager of a theatre, and introduced him to Black musicians and thinkers, including Davis.

Today, he is fascinated by ShakespeareAn English playwright and poet who is often called the greatest writer in the English language. , and he is using his passion to inspire others. In 2009, he founded The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company, which translates Shakespeare into modern-rap. 

Meanwhile, his first novel, The Dark Lady, tells the story of Henry, a 15-year-old Black, working class boy - living in Shakespearean times. He wants to change a trend he has noticed in British media. "Most of the period drama we get is usually focused on elites. Kings and queens and 'great men' - so to speak." 

"I want people to be able to imagine and historicise a Black experience, specifically a Black working class experience, and hopefully relate to that."

Yes: Television has long been criticised for its lack of diversity, which reinforces stereotypes and deprives viewers of the opportunity to see themselves and their experiences reflected on screen.

No: Television has become more diverse in recent years, with popular shows with diverse casts and storylines. Streaming services also offer a wide variety of diverse programming.

Or... Perhaps the question is the wrong one to ask. Instead, we should be asking whether TV is representative of the world we live in, which is becoming increasingly diverse but still has a lot of inequality and injustice.