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Judas Rapknowledge Da Akbar
Kilara Dan(born 1991), popularly known as Judas Rapknowledge Da Akbar, is the founder, director,  and CEO at Soulz of Africa, a record production studio based in Gulu, Uganda.

The name JUDAS is an acronym that stands for Justifiable Unique Dutiful Ambitious Savior.

Career
He is the third born in a family of four; he attended Unifat and Police Primary Schools in Gulu where he sat his Primary Leaving Examination (PLE).

He then joined Bishop Angelo Negri College for his Ordinary Level (O’level ) and then completed Senior Six from Gulu Central High School.

He also went to Esom school of music Inc. based in Rubaga Road, Kampala, Uganda.

He started recording in 2011 at Soulz of Africa, an underground record label, based in Gulu, Uganda, where he described himself as a poet and an underground producer.

From the year 2012 up to 2018, Judas has been winning musical accolades consecutively as the best hip hop artist of the year with Northern Uganda Music Awards (NUMA) with songs like (Lawino); a song about young girls being lured by sugar daddies that leads to early pregnancy, (Nakayang) a socially critical song that addresses how people despise you at the beginning but when things turn around, they come back asking for your help.

His other song (Maria) compares a woman’s beauty to Mary the mother of Jesus. (Lapwony) is a song that teaches the community about good morals and (Lwod) respectively, a song about meditation and self-reflection.

But in the year 2018, Judas refused to appear on the day of the awards because to him the awards had lost meaning because there was no competition but he won an award from Kampala; the Champ Award, an award about an artist that is most loved.

In 2019 he wasn’t nominated but also didn’t show up because he wanted to make money from shows within his community.

Hell broke loose in 2020 when Covid19 pandemic hit and there was total lockdown, but still Judas kept pushing in songs via social media.

Despite the pandemic and subsequent lockdown, his breakthrough journey started when an artist called Kao-Denero based in Sierra-Leone released a song denouncing African rappers such as Sarkodi, Khaligraph Jones and MI of Nigeria as fake.

This act of dissing each other that is common in the hip hop culture inspired Judas to retaliate in a rap song (David Vs Goliath) defending the best African rappers.

“The hit took West African countries by storm and social media was overwhelmed by the way I packaged my message without directly attacking him,’’ he said.

When social media went viral about his music, several media houses in Uganda woke up to the realization that it was Judas Rapknowledge, a local artist based in Gulu City. That is how he was nominated and people voted overwhelming in his favour to win the MTN HIPIPO award of 2021 as best male artist countrywide.

He defeated Uganda’s leading artists in the same category such as Navio, Fefe busse, Fik fameika, GNL Zamba among others.

He was also awarded the best Northern artist of the year with his song “Alok Kwona” literally meaning I want to change my life. To him hard work and passion is what has brought him this far.

Fellow artist, Lalam Irene a.k.a Liama says, Judas’ win is a breakthrough and stepping stone for northern artists to Uganda’s Capital City-Kampala.

“We are glad that our own was recognized, it has inspired many of us that at one point we will get to that level.” she said.

Polite Mosko’s renowned Music Promoter (Wire Mac) said, “the award will pave way for northern music to penetrate the central region and entire Uganda.”

Honors

 * The Annual MTN Pulse Hip Hop awards, Male artiste of the year with song, David and Goliath fight, 2021.