Kenneth Erhahon (born 8 July 1988), better known by his stage name Shocka, is a rapper and mental health advocate from Tottenham, London. He gained recognition for being one/third of Grime collective Marvell alongside Double S and Vertex. After dealing with mental health issues himself, Shocka became a
Mental health advocate
Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...
to help those with their own problems with his music. He has since aimed to raise awareness of mental issues and has been a speaker on TED and a guest on numerous talk shows.
Life and career
2008-2011: Career beginnings and Marvell
Shocka was born and raised in
Broadwater Farm
Broadwater Farm, often referred to simply as "The Farm", is an area in Tottenham, North London, straddling the River Moselle (London), River Moselle. The eastern half of the area is dominated by the Broadwater Farm Housing estate, Estate ("BWFE") ...
in Tottenham, North London. He experienced a lot of things whilst growing up there including crime and poverty, and wishes to shine a positive light on an area that has seen so much negativity. He began his musical journey in 2008, when he released his first mixtape "Beast on the Loose" which led him in joining the Grime group Marvell, alongside Vertex and Double S. Marvell were noted for being one of the first UK rap group to adopt of the direct-to-fan mentality that most musicians have now accepted; they released numerous mixtapes for free via their own blog, which was consistently updated with singles including Tim Westwood freestyles to studio encounters with
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals and creatures
* A male duck
* Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...
and
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
. The BBC named Marvell as "Hot for 2010" alongside Tinie Tempah, Chip, Skepta and Diversity. During this time, Shocka also worked with
Ghetts
Justin Jude Clarke-Samuel (born 9 October 1984), better known by his stage name Ghetts (formerly Ghetto), is a British Grime (music), grime MC, rapper, songwriter and actor. His music has been played on national radio stations such as BBC Radio ...
' Grime collective "The Movement", alongside
Devlin Devlin may refer to:
* Devlin (surname)
* Devlin (given name)
* Devlin (rapper), a British rapper
* ''Devlin'' (TV series), a 1974 animated TV series by Hanna-Barbera
* ''Devlin'', a 1988 novel by Roderick Thorp
* ''The Devil and Max Devlin
' ...
,
Wretch 32
Jermaine Sinclaire Scott (born 9 March 1985), better known by his stage name Wretch 32, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. He was a member of the grime collective Combination Chain Gang, before forming The ...
, and Scorcher. Marvell were eventually signed by Grime label Risky Roadz in 2011. However, the debut single by Marvell didn't perform as expected, and Risky Roadz later dropped Marvell. This eventually led Shocka to cope with mental health issues.
2012-2017: Mental health issues and solo career
After being dropped, Shocka felt that the highs of being a musician had been taken from him in an instant, which sent him on a downward spiral. This became too much for him to cope and he ended up in a mental health hospital.
Shocka, however, returned to music in 2014 with
Fire in the Booth
Charlie Ian Paul Rouillon (born 20 August 1981), known professionally as Charlie Sloth, is a British DJ, hype man, producer and TV presenter.
Early life SB.TV in March 2019. In the freestyle he talks about his future, getting married and one day starting a family. The artist also reflects on his life as he approaches turning 30. This was followed by the single "My Revolution which was released on 27 April 2015 and featured a cameo appearance from
Russell Brand
Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and la ...
. He was enlisted on Joey Clipstar's "Hardest Bars" series on Season 8 Episode 5 alongside Stormzy and Cashtastic. Shocka teamed up with Marvell affiliate Double S, after 6 long years since making music together, to release the single "One Take" which was released on 2 February 2016. He again made it on Clipstar's "Hardest Bars" but this time on Episode 12. He released the single "1 God" on 20 April 2016. Over a freestyle to Cadet's "Letter To Krept", Shocka wrote his own "Letter To Marvell", his former crew, directly addressing a long-rumoured situation involving his fellow ex-teammates Vertex and Double S. The freestyle was released 16 September 2016. Shocka went viral after releasing a freestyle titled "Now" in light of the
Grenfell Tower fire
On 14 June 2017, a List of fires in high-rise buildings, high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of Public housing in the United Kingdom, flats in North Kensington, West London, England, at 00:54 British Summer Time, BST ...
. The freestyle was reposted by British musicians including Giggs.
He released the EP "Kenneth is a King" which looks at he's life follow him on his rise to stardom from an introspective view. His return to music has been labelled as conscious, affirmative music inspired by Kendrick & J. Cole. Shocka aims to provide a positive message of Self Love in his music and promotes the message of putting yourself first from his experiences.
2018-present: Mental Health advocacy and ''Impact over Numbers''
He released a solo Fire in the Booth on 27 January 2018. He released the single "Self Love" on October of the same year.
On 26 November 2018, Shocka was featured on a podcast by Roundhouse where he gave his guidance and support to aspiring musicians on how to cope with mental health from the industry, discussing his time as an upcoming artist which lead him to experience a mental health breakdown. In an early 2019 interview with ITV News, Erhanon highlighted the highs and extreme lows of showbusiness. He spoke about his journey from being alongside famous names like Skepta to being dropped by his record company. Shocka was involved in an interview with The Pit LDN on 27 March 2019 to further raise awareness of mental health associated with music. Shocka released his third EP ''Conscious Crud'' on 26 April 2019.
Shocka was a speaker in the 2019 TEDxLondon Beyond Borders event held on 18 May 2019. During his talk, he highlighted his personal journey with mental health issues and how he has come to terms with these difficulties. Shocka believes self-love is part of the cure for mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety and low self-image.
In September 2019, Shocka reached out to
Stefflon Don
Stephanie Victoria Allen (born 14 December 1991), known professionally as Stefflon Don, is an English rapper. She rose to fame with her 2017 single "Hurtin' Me" (featuring French Montana), which peaked at number seven on the UK singles chart, ...
for cancer treatment for his mother. Stefflon Don held a giveaway after reaching a billion streams, and decided to give the money for his mother's treatment.
Erhanon went on to feature in a 10-episode series called "Mind Yourself" produced by Barcroft Studios. It focuses on young people who have or are recovering from poor mental health and was released on February 14, 2020, via
Snapchat
Snapchat is an American multimedia social media and instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of the app are that pictures and messages, known as "snaps", are usually availa ...
whilst also highlighting his own battle with
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, Auditory hallucination#Schizophrenia, hearing voices), delusions, thought disorder, disorganized thinking and behavior, and Reduced affect display, f ...
and
anxiety disorder
Anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by significant and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and fear such that a person's social, occupational, and personal functions are significantly impaired. Anxiety may cause phys ...
.
Shocka released his debut album ''Impact Over Numbers'' on 16 May 2020. It features
Burna Boy
Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu (born 2 July 1991), known professionally as Burna Boy, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. He gained recognition in 2012 after releasing "Like to Party", the lead single from his debut studio album '' ...
on the intro, production from Ayo Beatz, and vocals from Brook Baili and Chrissy Day as well as a tribute single to the late rapper,
Cadet
A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...
. The album was noted for exploring a variety of topics including mental health, friendship, and miscarriage.
Discography
Studio albums
*2020: ''Impact Over Numbers''
EPs
*2016: ''Against the Grain''
*2017: ''Kenneth is a King''
*2019: ''Conscious Crud''