Chicago Rapper Wil Akogu Fights Against Inner And Outer Enslavement On Buried Alive

Wil Akogu calls himself the Most Valuable Poet, and the 19-year-old Chicago-based rapper seems certain the rest of the world will too—he wants to use his rhymes and music to change the way we think about self-love, purpose, and our own identities. On his recent second EP, The Language of the Soul, he turns his journey to find himself into an invitation to other lost brethren.

“It was really hard for me to find myself. I was trying to make a cool record. I was trying to make a summer record,” Akogu says. “Those records are dope, but it’s not me. I don’t want to do what I can do. I want to do what I’m meant to do.”

Brown believes Akogu’s video might be able to touch lives, and maybe even save some of them. Tio Hardiman, former executive director of CeaseFire, says black youth in Chicago should pay attention to the video’s message.