Chit Chat - Much ado about rapping

Published Thursday 20 March 2008 at 12:40 by Tabard

Here’s something for all of you hip hop-loving theatregoers out there. Yes, Tabard knows who you are.

Hip hop, by the way, in case you are in any doubt, is a type of music. An upcoming rapper (as they refer to themselves) has been brought to Tabard’s attention.

He calls himself Akala. He is the brother of a lady who calls herself Ms Dynamite. And he raps (that’s a form of singing, which is a bit like speaking quickly in rhythm) about Shakespeare.

In fact, he has a new song called Comedy Tragedy History, which manages to soundcheck 27 of the Bard’s works.

He calls himself a “black Shakespeare”.

So, let’s see the evidence.

“You bellow but you fellows get played like

the cello I’m doin my ting

You’re jealous like Othello”

“I don’t know about Timon

I know he was in Athens”

“Bat boy Akala. I do it as you like it

You’re Much Ado About Nothing

All you do is bite it”

Quite - we couldn’t agree more and look forward to seeing Akala’s work performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in the near future.