Ikes is not a newcomer to the music world. Having begun his music career at the tender age of 14 as a Garage MC, he honed his musical skills by studying the crafts of some of the greats; such as Tupac, Biggie, Michael Jackson and more. Hailing from the edge of Hackney, Ikes was later signed to Indie label Reignassance, which was also home to such UK names as Chipmunk, Random Impulse and Wizzy Wow.
Despite success at such a tender age, Ikes had never intended music to be anything more than a hobby with early ambitions of becoming a professional footballer. After training with Tottenham Hotspurs, he trialled for both Leyton Orient and Northampton before a mixture of Osgood-Schlatter Disease and getting caught up with the wrong crowds on the streets called early time on his sporting hopes. He soon realised that he needed to refocus his goals and committed to finishing his education. While studying for a degree in Maths and Finance at Brunel University, he explored self-expression through rap and quickly found a following on MySpace.
Soon enough Ikes was featured in Flavour Magazine’s 2010 ‘Hot List’ and started making huge strides in his music career. His mixtape ‘Peer 2 Peer’ received over 10,000 downloads worldwide in two weeks, with the accompanying music videos garnering attention online featured by platforms such as GRM Daily, Jump Off UK, All Hip Hop and OnSMASH. IKES received rave reviews for his 'Warm Up Session' on SB.TV, with SB.TV creator Jamal Edwards MBE later picking it to be featured in the company’s Google Chrome advert, broadcasted on television in 2012.
January 2012 saw Ikes work closely with producer Maleek on the release of the EP ‘The Intermission: Last Call’. The project gained Ikes attention, with BBC 1Xtra supporting single ‘GirlTalk’ (featuring Jermaine Riley and Scorcher) on their BBC Introducing show.
Having peaked at #1 in the US College Radio charts with single ‘No Commercial’, Ikes contemplated his next move. Having always felt the outsider of the British Hip Hop scene, he decided to explore the reasons for being on the periphery as an artist on home turf but at the heart of the movement in other terrains. Simultaneously he questioned his own ambitions and motives as an artist. The result of this exploration is new mini album ‘Outside|In’, which sees Ikes ready to move his sound into the UK mainstream.
Having worked closely with producer ‘One Black Russian’ and Chief Engineer of the production team J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Mr Edward Nixon, Ikes sees the release of ‘Outside|In’ as a rebirth – the new starting point of his already successful recording career.
A truly personal project that is a reflection of the scene within which he is based, Ikes is unafraid to explore the feelings that he knows many of his contemporaries are afraid to answer. Happy to finally present himself just as himself, ‘Outside|In’ dissects not just his identity as an artist, but his place in the music industry and his changing ambitions. ‘Outside|In’ sees Ikes discover who he really is.
