Every day is the 1st of tha Month when Akeem Ali drops a Freestyle
Every once in a while a freestyle pops up that makes you stop scrolling and actually pay attention.
Every once in a while a freestyle pops up that makes you stop scrolling and actually pay attention. Akeem Ali's new verse, which also serves as a promo for his concert tour, over Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's "1st of tha Month" is exactly that: a smooth, confident, technically sharp performance that feels like someone who's been nice for a long time and is finally getting more of the social media attention that he's earned.
Here's the freestyle:
So Who Is Akeem Ali?
Akeem Ali is a Mississippi-born rapper who's been quietly building a cult following for the past few years. He's one of those artists who can rap circles around most of the field but still keep things playful, a rare combination in an era where everyone seems to be moving towards the extreme of either deadly serious or fully ironic.
His breakout moment came about five years ago with "Keemy Casanova," a retro-pimp-funk character piece that went viral and racked up millions of views. It's slick, funny, and delivered with so much charisma that it feels like a lost Blaxploitation soundtrack cut.