Krystle Kantrece Johnson (born May 29, 1987), better known by her stage name Ak'Sent, is an American rapper. She is from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Early life and career

Ak'Sent's father Charles Johnson is of African-American descent, while her mother Magali Padilla is of Mexican descent. Ak'Sent grew up quickly thanks to a rough childhood. Her father was an aspiring rapper caught up in the gang lifestyle and was killed in a gang shooting when she was four years old, and with her mother unable to support her on her own, she was sent to live with her grandparents in

South Central, Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

. Ak'Sent was signed to Capitol Records when she was only 16. Since then she has worked with a number of well-known professionals such as The Jugganauts,

DJ Quik David Marvin Blake (born January 18, 1970), better known by his stage names DJ Quik or Da Quiksta, is an American rapper and producer, known for his production in the G-funk style of West Coast hip-hop. Blake has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, ...

, & Beenie Man. Ak'Sent aims to avoid the glorification of violence and prefers to think of Hip-Hop as a form of "street poetry."Aksent Song Review at raphiphopmusic dot com Her first album, ''International'', was released on September 26, 2006. She released her second album ''Gem-In-I'' under the Avex label. It was released on July 16, 2008 in Japan only. She is currently recording her third album and a mixtape.

Behind the music

Although Ak'Sent signed to a major label when she was only 16 years old, her African-American/Latino background had her wondering where to fit in. Adding to her challenges, rap music wasn't allowed in her grandparents' house, but as Ak'Sent learned more about her father's hip-hop aspirations, she decided she should carry on in his honor. She eventually spent time in several R&B-based girl groups and began dance training with Debbie Allen. One showcase at the age of 16 had the young multi-talent signed to Capitol and working with the production duo The Jugganauts. Ak'Sent was especially excited about the Caribbean-styled beats the Jugganauts were working on, and soon she was writing a series of dancehall numbers. One was the future hit "Zingy", featuring guest star Beenie Man, who Ak'Sent herself had chosen because she was a huge fan. Her debut ''International'' landed in 2006 with a Spanish-language remix of "Zingy" and an ode to her departed father titled "My Life".

Discography

Albums

;''International'' Release Date: September 26, 2006, Japan Dec 15, 2007 *Professional reviews

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

link Track listing
Includes bonus track (Japan) # "My Life" # "Zingy" featuring Beenie Man # "Pick Up" # "The Bomb" # "All I Need" # "Sak Passe" # #1 # "If U Were My Baby" # "Be Careful" # "We Rule" # "Krunk Krunk" # "I Gets Down" # "My Peoples" # "Keep It Movin # "International" # "Zingy" featuring Beenie Man & Sinful (Spanish Version) # "Where I Come From" # "Hold Up" # "Bounce" ;''Gem-In-I'' Release Date: July 16, 2008 (Japan only) Track listing # "Stronger" # "Losing Control" # "Big City" # "U So Hollywood" # "Lock Him Down" # "We R The Party" # "Hot Girl" # "Low" # "Crush" # "Sexxxy" # "Can't Say No" # "I Hate Love" # "Hoodhustlin # "Hood Boy"

Singles

*"Zingy" featuring Beenie Man was released on March 7, 2006 *"Losing Control" ;Music videos

Compilation appearances

*2005 ''Coach Carter (Music from the Motion Picture)'' — "This One" **Capitol Records *2007 ''Major Flavours 2'' — "Zingy" riginal Remix**Universal Distribution *2009 ''Fame (Original motion picture soundtrack)'' — "This Is My Life" **Lakeshore Records

Other appearances

*Ak'Sent co-wrote and performed the song "This One" that premiered in the movie ''

Coach Carter ''Coach Carter'' is a 2005 American biographical teen sports drama film starring Samuel L. Jackson and directed by Thomas Carter (no relation). The film is based on the true story of Richmond High School basketball coach Ken Carter (played ...

''. *She had a part in the 2009 movie '' Fame''.Archived a
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Her song titled "This Is My Life" is also on the soundtrack. She performs the song with

Hopsin Marcus Jamal Hopson (born July 18, 1985), known professionally as Hopsin, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Los Angeles. In 2007, he was signed to Ruthless Records, and had founded his own record label, Funk Volume, i ...

, Tynisha Keli, and Donte "Burger" Winston. *Ak'Sent was featured on the song "Boyhunter" by Canadian rock star

Skye Sweetnam Skye Alexandra Sweetnam (born May 5, 1988) is a Canadian singer, actress, and music video director. She first entered the music industry in 2003 with the release of her debut single " Billy S." More than a year later, her debut studio album, ''N ...

it was featured as a myspace exclusive. *Ak'sent's song "Bounce" was featured on the in-game soundtrack of '' NBA Street V3''. *Ak'sent's song "Pick Up" was featured on the in-game soundtrack of ''

Thrillville ''Thrillville'' is a simulation and strategy video game developed by Frontier Developments that depicts theme park management, similar to '' RollerCoaster Tycoon''. ''Thrillville'' is available for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and, in ...

''. *She was featured in singer Paula DeAnda's song "Clap ta This" from her self-titled album.

References

External links

Ak'Sent
at

Avex Group is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

Ak'Sent
at

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Ak'Sent
at

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:AkSent 1987 births Living people American women rappers American rappers of Mexican descent Rappers from Los Angeles African-American women rappers West Coast hip hop musicians American hip hop dancers Hispanic and Latino American rappers Spanish-language singers of the United States 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American women musicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century women rappers