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 UK Top 10 hit “Blackout”).