Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
It’s fair to say that at the age of 15 most of us aren’t laying the foundations for a career as a musical sensation. Idi Akz, hailing from the humble town of Burton on Trent, defied expectations and did exactly that. “My musical journey started from the time I was around six. I was going to a church in Burton where my mom would lead in the choir and my father would play drums. Seeing my parents getting involved with music inspired me.”
With influences from Oasis to Billie Eilish, the experience of growing up in a predominantly white community exposed Idi Akz to artists that added a unique fusion to his sound that set him apart in the UK rap scene. In 2021 he released his second single ‘Two Years Clear’ and, as often happens these days, TikTok virality rapidly jettisoned him into the spotlight of the UK music scene. Since then the now 17-year-old rapper has accumulated streaming numbers that would make any major label artist quake in their boots. The experience of this release also stands as his biggest milestone: “It started off with me posting a preview. My friends encouraged me to post it. I was never planning on releasing the song in the first place. I felt it was a bit too honest. But then I put it out there and it did well on TikTok, in a day I got like 80,000 views and I’ve never got anything close to that. Then it spiralled!”
Read the full interview here: clashmusic.com/next-wave/next-wave-1126-idi-akz
WHAT: A unique fusion of rap and lo-fi melodies
WHERE: Burton on Trent
3 SONGS: ‘Two Years Clear’, ‘DSLM?’, ‘LTC’
FACT: He’s actually a longtime Swiftie.
Photography: Bella Howard
Styling: Sabrina Soormally
All clothes provided by Axel Arigato
It’s fair to say that at the age of 15 most of us aren’t laying the foundations for a career as a musical sensation. Idi Akz, hailing from the humble town of Burton on Trent, defied expectations and did exactly that. “My musical journey started from the time I was around six. I was going to a church in Burton where my mom would lead in the choir and my father would play drums. Seeing my parents getting involved with music inspired me.”
With influences from Oasis to Billie Eilish, the experience of growing up in a predominantly white community exposed Idi Akz to artists that added a unique fusion to his sound that set him apart in the UK rap scene. In 2021 he released his second single ‘Two Years Clear’ and, as often happens these days, TikTok virality rapidly jettisoned him into the spotlight of the UK music scene. Since then the now 17-year-old rapper has accumulated streaming numbers that would make any major label artist quake in their boots. The experience of this release also stands as his biggest milestone: “It started off with me posting a preview. My friends encouraged me to post it. I was never planning on releasing the song in the first place. I felt it was a bit too honest. But then I put it out there and it did well on TikTok, in a day I got like 80,000 views and I’ve never got anything close to that. Then it spiralled!”
Read the full interview here: clashmusic.com/next-wave/next-wave-1126-idi-akz
WHAT: A unique fusion of rap and lo-fi melodies
WHERE: Burton on Trent
3 SONGS: ‘Two Years Clear’, ‘DSLM?’, ‘LTC’
FACT: He’s actually a longtime Swiftie.
Photography: Bella Howard
Styling: Sabrina Soormally
All clothes provided by Axel Arigato
