Rising duo Makola have their roots in Finland and Ghana but their sound, an irrepressible explosion of hip-hop and afrobeat, could only ever have been forged in London. Meeting on an off chance in a pub in Camden, North London, rapper K Mensah and producer Pete.H bonded over their taste of music and a desire to make waves in the music industry. After experimenting with different styles and genres Makola stumbled upon a sound after K Mensah revisited the music he grew up on, Ghanaian High-Life. Upon hearing the likes of Daddy Lumba, Osibisa, E.T Mensah, A.B Crentsil and Ebo Taylor, Pete took it upon himself to pay homage the only way he knew how, laying down a beat. K Mensah heard it a week later and Makola’s first single was spawned, This Is London, an exhilarating blend of culture and consciousness delivered with unabashed honesty.
Apple Music’s Beats 1 radio show host DJ Julie Adenuga jumped on it, featuring This is London and hailing it as one of her “tracks of the summer”. The track quickly became one of Apple Music UK’s A-List tracks of the week. This is London encapsulated the feeling of summer 2016 and soon made it on UK mainstream radio. Radio 1’s influential Phil Taggart showcased it and so did Mista Jam, culminating in Makola becoming BBC Introducing’s act of the week. Subsequently This is London was playlisted by BBC Radio 1xtra and played by Trevor Nelson, DJ Target and the like, meanwhile Europe was feeling the vibe and major stations like Radio Fritz in Germany and Couleur3 in Switzerland played it all summer.
Second single Black Man Statues saw Makola incorporate a Grimier London sound, again embodying their surroundings and producing a piece of socio-political commentary in a tongue-in-cheek manor. Black Man Statues found pride and place on Spotify’s Grime Shutdown playlist and also featured on Radio 1 with Huw Stephens, also as Mista Jam’s ‘Inbox Fresh’ track of the week. Leading up to the official release Makola played their debut gig to a packed out Koko, which will go down in folklore amongst those who were there to witness the explosion of energy and adrenaline.
BLACK MAN STATUES OFFICIAL VIDEO
THIS IS LONDON PACK SHOT VID
MAKOLA LIVE AND BEHIND THE SCENES AT KOKO 25 NOV 16"