A prominent member of the West Midlands rap scene, Wolverhampton barrer Akes has had a journey nothing short of inspiring since first stepping into the game in 2014. Deriving his stage name from the aches caused by his lifelong cerebral palsy condition, the young wordsmith has always hoped to show others in a similar position that they can chase their dreams in music, even when the odds seem stacked against them.

Leading by example, he’s carved a name for himself as one of his city’s most versatile musicians, dabbling in everything from hip hop to bashment and earning the respect of radio royalty including 1Xtra’s DJ Target, Sian Anderson and Nick Bright and leading publications like Complex, TRENCH and the Express & Star along the way.

Particularly renowned for his grime output, Akes has worked with some of the genre’s biggest names including BPI Gold-certified producer Preditah, N.A.S.T.Y Crew legend Nasty Jack and the inimitable Flirta D, and has released two grime EPs to date – 2014’s War and 2018’s Sickwidit. 2020 was a breakthrough year for him, which saw him join forces with seasoned Birmingham MC Deadly R3al on the brassy, infectious collaboration “I Par With Da Best” and Croydon legend Nolay on the rousing Black History Month offering “Black & Proud