Akono History

A kono Entertainment was originally started in August of 2002. The name comes from an African term which means "It's Our Turn". It was time to take that concept and run with it, so that's when Alphonso Jones and Juby Battle came together to start building "Spin Studios" back in 2002 which was changed to Akono Entertainment a short while later. With the help of Engineer Patrick Pelissier (Paperz) and Christopher Torres (Metaphor Beatz), they were set out to build their first recording facility in Miami, FL. Soon after open mic nights were available for local artists to come voice their skills in the recording booth as well as spread the word around town by recruiting more local talent. Nearly six years later now in 2008, we have some of the hottest artists in the south and the best kept secret Miami has ever had.

W e came across a group called the "City Slickuz" back in 2003 and were surprised to hear the reactions from some of the local fans who've never even heard of them until then. The up north and down south duo had just the right chemistry and wordplay to catch the audience. The goal is to keep hustling, keep grinding and keep making music people love, because if you put your heart and soul into building something.... people will notice.

A while later we were fortunate enough to come across a young 19 year old Mansfield down in the parking lot who was spitting some hot rhymes over a few instrumentals from his car radio. Once we got him in the booth he was ripping up tracks and making hits ever since (hence the name "hitman"). J Ag was an artist who was supposed to have linked up with us a while back and then one day we ran into him at a neighboring studio. Ever since then he keeps bringing that hot street sound to the mic and one of the hardest work ethics we have yet to see. Every member plays an intricate role and is an important piece of the puzzle that creates the Akono family. Through this recipe for success we continue to strive and keep pushing forward towards meeting and super exceeding our goals.

About the City Slickuz

C ity Slickuz, South Florida's latest hip hop duo, is poised to leave it's mark on the minds of music connoisseurs across the globe who genuinely appreciate authenticity, lyrical density and unique vocal delivery. Far from your ordinary southern hip hop group, City Slickuz have that unique sound that has captured the audience from the moment you first hear their music. Comprised of Charles Brown, aka "Stress" and Gregory Gilmore, aka "Sparxx"; City Slickuz are more than just your everyday rap group. Aside from hot beats and catchy hooks, they are one of the few southern artists that bring substance with their music. There aren't very many artists in Miami who do it the way they do because their sound is so diversified that you can't label them just to the south. It can be appreciated from East to West coast, from the South to the Midwest and across the globe.

.. S tress", a raspy-voiced MC, originally from Brownsville, Brooklyn, moved to Miami at a young age to avoid struggles and violence growing up in the hood. A fan of old school Big Daddy Kane, Big L, Jay Z and Tupac Shakur, he transmits a stream of lyrics so free, but yet so fierce, manipulating his craft to reflect a range of styles with influences from the Caribbean as well as hip hop from east to west coast. Of Jamaican descent, Stress overcame tough times on the streets of Brooklyn, while his mother served time in prison for five years during his childhood. His father was murdered when he was still an infant. After living in Jamaica for several years, Stress and his siblings came to Miami where his grandmother continued to raise them. "Living in NY most kids grew up wanting to rap", so it was instilled in him at an early age. His hip hop interest at that time revolved mostly around freestyling, but around late 1997, he started taking it more seriously when he met his collaborator "Sparxx" while at Miami Southridge Senior High. "Sparxx" came from a broken home after his mother and father separated by the time he was five years old. The eldest of three brothers, he had the responsibility of looking after the family since his father was barely around. A native Miamian with Bahamian roots, Sparxx was raised in the southern end of town in the gritty housing complex known as The Square. He appreciated artists who had more to say, molding himself after Tupac, Biggie Smallz and Jay Z; while he paid close attention to artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Common. Sparxx would describe his style as more of a feel good type of music, rather than your average Miami bass and bling rapper. A versatile artist who flows with creative wordplay, he has the ability to flip his lyrics from crunk to conscious, from street to smooth seamlessly.

C ity Slickuz spit lyrics layered with diverse cultural influences and various genres of music. Their reputation for hot song concepts and creative lyrics put them on the map locally and landed them a record deal with Miami-based Akono Entertainment. They've done a number of performances in Florida as well as Valdosta Georgia where they performed with Khia, Daron from 112, and Kandi from Xscape. City Slickuz know how to rock crowds; their stage performances generated some surprisingly positive reactions from fans who've never even heard of them before. The up north and down south duo had just the right chemistry and stage presence to catch the audience. The release of the highly anticipated "Starz Of Da Souf" Mixtape has created a major buzz in the south and will no doubt implode the Miami hip-hop scene. The CD includes 22 songs with many original tracks produced by "Metaphor Beatz", "Fifth Movement", and "Paperz" as well as an original "Beatsmith" feature production. This street compilation includes feature artists such as J Agony, and Mansfield, as well as special guest host DJ Spinz. Currently the City Slickuz are in the studio recording the new "Starz Of Da Souf" album as well as the new "Starz Of Da Souf Volume Two" Mixtape. The Hit singles "Hallucinating" and "Make Room" will soon be ready for nationwide release. City Slickuz have that spark that major record labels are looking for, the fans are patiently waiting for their album to drop, and they've already generated well over a million genuine plays on their MySpace page alone. This group has serious potential to blow up real big, real soon. Miami's Best Kept Secret won't stay quiet for much longer, so be on the look out out for the City Slickuz in your town, on your television, internet, radio stations, and much more...

I f you feelin the music then you should be a part of the City Slickuz Movement.... Keep showing us your support and go tell somebody about us. You can also download the "Starz Of Da Souf" Mixtape off the page and let somebody else hear it. We appreciate whatever you can do to help keep the City Slickuz moving forward.