Krystle Kantrece Johnson (born May 29, 1987), better known by her stage name Ak'Sent, is an American rapper. She is from
Los Angeles,
California.
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. Ak'Sent was signed to
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
when she was only 16. Since then she has worked with a number of well-known professionals such as The Jugganauts,
DJ Quik, &
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay.
Biography
Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...
.
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
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
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
Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay.
Biography
Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...
, 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 link
Track listing
Includes bonus track (Japan)
# "My Life"
# "Zingy" featuring
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay.
Biography
Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...
# "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
Anthony Moses Davis (born 22 August 1973), better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Jamaican Dancehall deejay.
Biography
Davis was born in the Waterhouse district of Kingston in 1973.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Mus ...
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''.
*She had a part in the 2009 movie ''
Fame''.
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Her song titled "This Is My Life" is also on the soundtrack. She performs the song with
Hopsin,
Tynisha Keli
Tynisha Keli Soares (born July 28, 1985), known by her stage name Tynisha Keli, is an American singer-songwriter, who has seen her greatest success in Japan.
She is best known for the single " I Wish You Loved Me" which was written by Rico Love ...
, 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
''NBA Street V3'' is a basketball video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. It is the third installment in the ''NBA Street'' series, Originally released in February 2005 for the GameCube, ...
''.
*Ak'sent's song "Pick Up" was featured on the in-game soundtrack of ''
Thrillville''.
*She was featured in singer Paula DeAnda's song "Clap ta This" from her self-titled album.
References
External links
Ak'Sentat
Avex Group
Ak'Sentat
Twitter
Ak'Sentat
Facebook
{{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