Shakka’s soulful voice is a velvet glove around iron-clad musical punches. Having grown up on reggae and soul in his native London, he started writing and producing his own bouncy and infectious R&B tracks during a boom period for British rap. Incorporating elements of UK garage and soul, he went on to create tropical-tinged songs with a very British sensibility (“No Problem, Fam”). That led to a series of high-profile collaborations in which his voice adds an emotional surge to the starkly real lyrics of Ghetts (“Know My Ting”), JME (“Say Nada (Remix)”) and Wretch 32 (the Top 10 hit “Blackout”).