User:EastAfricanEditor/AKWRA DRAFT

Brian Akwera (born January 23rd, 1995 in Nairobi, Kenya), best known by his stage name AKWRA, is an East African recording artist signed to Cartel Music Africa. In his career he has released a mix-tape called “Music Theory 101”and four singles thus far: Hell of a Night featuring J2H, Tikisa featuring Uhhh, My City featuring Gordo and Matata.

Early life and music career
AKWRA moved to Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania at the age of 6. Whilst in school, AKWRA picked up an admiration towards music and the performing arts. This led to him learning and playing various instruments throughout his time at school. He cites his school years as the time he started to focus on making music seriously and was often contemplating it as a full-time career path. He regularly & actively participated in multiple talent shows while completing his studies. Not long after his graduation he decided to take his craft further and started collaborating with local artists. His efforts then led to the summer hit "Hell of a Night" which peaked at #9 on Choice FM’s Weekend Countdown chart. Following wide spread support for his art form, AKWRA released his first mix-tape entitled 'Music Theory 101'. It received positive reactions from critics and helped him in meeting many dominating East Africa artists.

Signing with Cartel Music Africa
Early in 2014, AKWRA announced through his twitter that he had left D.P.A International and had signed a deal with Cartel Music Africa. He cited Cartel’s work ethic and artist development program as major factors in his decision making process.DPA International CEO Base Yung expressed through his twitter that he supported AKWRAs decision and would look forward to work with him in the future.As of July 10th AKWRA has released three singles under the Cartel Music Africa imprint.

Tikisa
Tikisa is a dance ballad released by AKWRA early in 2014. Incorporating both English and Swahili in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, Tikisa served as AKWRA's debut single under the CMA imprint. It was received well and was praised as a "Club Banger".

My City
My City is a Hip Hop track about Dar es Salaam. It was released by AKWRA in May. My City was not received well and it was generally seen as a let down due to a lack of consistency with Tikisa. It still managed to gain plays faster than Tikisa, +1500 plays on soundcloud in 3 days.

Matata
Matata is a Afro Pop satire released by AKWRA on July 10th. Unlike his previous songs, Matata is written fully in the Swahili language with no English. It serves as AKWRA's third single under the CMA imprint. While some have called the song controversial in nature, others have hailed Matata as an open letter to the public transport industry of Dar es Salaam.

Criticism
Criticism surrounding AKWRA’s music stems from the consistency of his music. While songs like “Tikisa” and “Matata” were hailed as beacons of African culture at its finest, “My City” was seen as a letdown to fans and critics alike. AKWRA has defended his songwriting process on his twitter account stating his versatility is what makes him a better artist.