Killa Kela (born Lee Potter) is a British

beatboxer Beatboxing (also beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (typically a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

and rapper from

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an ...

Career

Killa Kela’s career started in 1997 when he formed a 10 collective strong U.K Hip Hop crew called 360 Physicals; composed of MC’s DJ’s and graffiti artists from across the Southeast of the U.K. Initially a rapper and an MC, after honing his skills later as a beatboxer and vocalist, he was then taken under the wing of DJ Vadim (Ninja Tune/Jazz Fudge) and sent on tour with Vadim and his then live band “The Russian Percussion” alongside various Hip Hop artists of the day, inc. Company Flow, Swollen Members, Blurum13, The Scratch Perverts, The Arsonists, Jurassic 5 to name a few. 123 countries were toured and over 200 shows were performed in less than 18 months. Around the same time Kela was inducted into the legendary New York Hip Hop organisation the

Rock Steady Crew Rock Steady Crew is an American breaking and hip hop group which has become a franchise name for multiple groups in other locations. The group's 1983 international hit song " (Hey You) The Rock Steady Crew" (from the group's first studio album ...

by the ''then'' Rocksteady U.K chapter representative Tuff Tim Twist. This came about after both Tim and RSC founder Crazy Legs (NYC), witnessed Kela perform (multiple times) at The U.K Breakdancing Championships which were held in London between 2001 - 2003. Kela is also noted as the eighth member of the original U.K Scratch Perverts DJ team, after Kela performed with The Scratch Perverts during their success at the 1999 New York World DMC DJ finals where the team won their world DJ title. Scratch Perverts disbanded as an eight man team in 2002, but highlights of Kela’s time with the SP’s inc. Performing for the legendary BBC Radio DJ John Peeles on his 60th birthday, Showcasing at Reading & Leeds Festival, and being a host for the World DMC championship events for six years consecutively. Kela pioneered the art of beatboxing and was the first beatbox artist to emerge from Europe. He was also the first beatbox artist to be signed to a major record label. Kela received the Stuff Magazine Award for "renegade of Style" 2006 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, he toured alongside Testicicles, Dev,

Lightspeed Champion Devonté Hynes (born David Joseph Michael Hynes, 23 December 1985), also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was ...

, and GLC (

Goldie Lookin Chain Goldie Lookin Chain are a Welsh comedy hip hop group from Newport, south-east Wales. The group produces humorous, controversial and often explicit songs that satirise hip hop, today's consumer society, the "chav" culture and life in Newpo ...

) while performing on festival dates with Pharrell Williams and

N*E*R*D N.E.R.D. (stylized as N⋆E⋆R⋆D and N.E.R.D, a backronym of No-one Ever Really Dies) is an American hip hop and rock band, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1999. Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were signed by Teddy Riley to Virgin Recor ...

. He also did a string of US spot dates with

DJ Z-Trip Zach Sciacca (born July 22, 1971), better known as DJ Z-Trip, is an American DJ and producer. He is a pioneer of the mashup movement. He was the 2009 recipient of the "America's Best DJ Award". As a producer he has worked with artists across d ...

in 2007. From 2003 to 2008, Kela was a special guest at various

/ Pharrell Williams shows and festivals across Europe, including Seattle for the Sprite Liquid Mix festival and

Oxegen Festival Oxegen was a music festival in Ireland, first held from 2004–2011 as a rock and pop festival and again in 2013 with dance and chart acts only. The event was regularly cited as Ireland's biggest music festival, and, by 2009, it was being ci ...

, Dublin. In 2008, Kela performed with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

and

Nikka Costa Domenica "Nikka" Costa (born 4 June 1972) is an American singer whose music combines elements of pop, soul, and blues. She also had a career as a child singer starting in the early 1980s. She is the daughter of music producer Don Costa. Early ...

at the O2 Arena as a special guest. His live shows incorporates

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub- ...

, electro and hip hop styles, singing, MCing, realistic vocal scratching, body movements, and imitations of popular songs such as "I'm a Slave 4 U" by

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage producti ...

and "

Tom's Diner "Tom's Diner" is a song written in 1982 by American singer and songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was first released as a track on the January 1984 issue of '' Fast Folk Musical Magazine''. Originally featured on her second studio album, '' Solitude St ...

" by

Suzanne Vega Suzanne Nadine Vega ( Peck; born July 11, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter best known for her folk-inspired music. Vega's music career spans almost 40 years. She came to prominence in the mid-1980s, releasing four singles that entered th ...

. He calls his technique " multivocalism", a term coined by Kela and then longtime artwork collaborator Mark Splinter in 2000. Kela formed the collective Spitkingdom, and performed hundreds of live shows all around the world; they were noted as a Soundsystem, consisting of four DJs and 4 MCs and were formed as a backbone for future Killa Kela projects. Spitkingdom also curated a weekly Hip Hop & Drum&Bas club night at Herbal nightclub in Shoreditch called “Spitkingdom HQ”. Kela released ''The Permanent Marker'' in 2002, a beatbox-only album featuring Fallacy, Harry Love, and Normski. He then toured with

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, '' How to Rap: The Art & Sc ...

, Redman,

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

, and others. He was second billed at the Earls Court Music festival with Jay-Z. Some of his voices are featured on the

Basement Jaxx Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first rose to popularity in the underground house sce ...

single "Oh My Gosh" (2004) Kela released an EP in Europe entitled "For Those Who've Joined Us", featuring

Stereo MCs Stereo MC's are an English hip hop/ electronic dance group which formed in Nottingham, England, in 1985. They had an international top 20 hit with their single " Connected". After releasing eight albums for Island Records, K7, Graffiti Recordi ...

Artful Dodger Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket, so called for his skill and cunning in that occupation. He is the leader of the gang of child criminal ...

, and DJ Vadim. The ''Elocution'' album (

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyou ...

) came in 2005 and included The Elysian Quartet on strings, backing vocalists Rookwood and Trip, DJ Skeletrik, and his producer Spider on keys and vocals. It also featured Sweetie Irie, James Rushent ( Does It Offend You, Yeah?),

Roots Manuva Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial succ ...

, and

Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk an ...

, with writing from Karen Poole. His song Jawbreaker was put on the

FIFA Street 2 ''FIFA Street 2'' is the 2006 sequel to the EA Sports video game '' FIFA Street''. A new "trick stick beat" system was introduced and new authentic tricks were also introduced. The game was released for the GameCube, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, ...

soundtrack and is to date one of the strongest releases off the

Elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

album. Kela parted ways with Sony BMG in 2007. During this period he also travelled to China, playing in Shanghai and Beijing with the Infadels on a tour organised by

Split Works Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, entertai ...

. Between albums, Kela created the single "Nightwatcher" (formerly "Addictive") alongside

Alan Braxe Alain Quême (), professionally known as Alan Braxe (born 9 July 1971), is a French electronic music artist. Braxe is most widely known for his collaborative work with electronic bassist Fred Falke and Kris Menace, and for being part of the music ...

(Stardust) and Fallon, for Universal Music. He also created a mix album alongside his then crew Spitkingdom, entitled "Days That Shook The World" produced by James Rushent (Does It Offend You, Yeah?) and DJ Skelectrik, which received "Best Mix CD 2007 in DJ Magazine UK. He also released the album ''Ontourvandamage'' in 2008, produced by DJ Plus One (Scratch Perverts,

Jack Beats Jack Beats is an English electronic music project from London, originally formed in 2007 by DJ Plus One (from the Scratch Perverts) and Beni G (from The Mixologists), both of which are multiple DJ champions and award-winning DJs. The Jack Beats ...

) In 2009, Kela created his debut album ''Amplified!''. The album contained "Built Like An Amplifier" which included remixes from Dave Spoon, Sway, and Faith SFX. "Everyday" was produced by Alan Braxe with remixes from LifeLike,

Jakwob James Edward Jacob (born 28 March 1989), better known by his stage name Jakwob, is a British music producer, songwriter and DJ. Early life As a multi-instrumentalist, Jacob has been involved in many bands since his early teenage years – star ...

, and

Franz Ferdinand Archduke Franz Ferdinand Carl Ludwig Joseph Maria of Austria, (18 December 1863 – 28 June 1914) was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. His assassination in Sarajevo was the most immediate cause of World War I. Fr ...

. It also included "Get A Rise," featuring Hadouken, which was heavily featured on the Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit soundtrack. Other features include a

Mentos Mentos are a brand of packaged scotch mints or mint flavored candies sold in stores and vending machines. First produced in 1932, they are currently sold in more than 130 countries worldwide by the Italian-Dutch corporation Perfetti Van Melle. T ...

candy commercial, Absolut Vodka Commercials for North America (2004), recent work alongside stylists

Judy Blame Judy Blame (12 February 1960 – 19 February 2018) was a British fashion stylist, accessories designer and punk iconoclast. Early life Judy Blame was born Christopher Barnes in 1960 in Leatherhead, Surrey, and grew up in Spain and Devon. He ran ...

, PinsLondon, Noki. studio work with

Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie Tempah, is a British rapper. He has been signed to Parlophone Records since 2009, a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his own entertainment compa ...

Wiley Wiley may refer to: Locations * Wiley, Colorado, a U.S. town * Wiley, Pleasants County, West Virginia, U.S. * Wiley-Kaserne, a district of the city of Neu-Ulm, Germany People * Wiley (musician), British grime MC, rapper, and producer * Wiley Mil ...

from his "See Clear Now" Album, The Kool Kids (US), visuals and beatbox for the Gorillaz Soundsystem project, and recording with

The Glitch Mob The Glitch Mob is an American electronic music trio from Los Angeles, California. It consists of edIT (Edward Ma), Boreta (Justin Boreta) and Ooah (Josh Mayer). Chris Martins of ''LA Weekly'' noted that they "have undoubtedly found the largest a ...

. On 28 September that year, Kela appeared at the London School of Economics. In 2011, he featured in the

Plan B Plan B typically refers to a contingency plan, a plan devised for an outcome other than in the expected plan. Plan B may also refer to: * Plan B, a brand name of levonorgestrel, an emergency contraception drug Film and television * Plan B Ent ...

movie '' Ill Manors as well as collaborating with Plan B & Director Mike Figgis on a music/Short film piece entitled “Business Woman”.'' Kela performed at the

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...

main stage to 83,000 people, as well as touring Australia and Asia. In 2015, Kela performed alongside

DJ Fresh Daniel Edward Stein (born 11 April 1977), better known by his stage name DJ Fresh, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, best known for making electronic music. He is one of the principal members of the drum and bass group Bad Company, ...

and

Fleur East Fleur East (born 29 October 1987) is an English singer-songwriter, rapper and radio presenter on Hits Radio. She competed on the second series of the televised singing competition ''The X Factor'' in 2005 as a member of the girl group Addicti ...

at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

, and collaborated With UK Funky pioneer Roska on "Toll Booth" off the Asking 4 It EP. Them&Us also collaborated with The Stanton Warrior's with the track Cut Me Up on the Punks label. In 2016 Them&Us won Best International Act at The Toronto Independent Music awards, as well as coming 3rd place at Indie Week Canada's annual international battle of the bands. Kela hit the road beatboxing as part of the half time show for

Monster Energy Monster Energy is an energy drink that was created by Hansen Natural Company (now Monster Beverage Corporation) in April 2002. As of March 2019, Monster Energy had a 35% share of the energy drink market, the second highest share after Red Bull ...

's RX Rig Riot events, which took him on tour across Europe. He also performed at Hyde Parks Winter Wonderland over the Christmas season and performed his final show alongside all the original members of The Spitkingdom Soundsystem at the Jazz Cafe. The group disbanded after a year. In 2018, Kela released the first of its kind beatbox sample pack on Splice, entitled "Killa Kela Body Parts" He also released the track "Smoke The Hydro" alongside Yunis of Saturate Records. Kela was featured on the Conrank track "Set It Off" which was released on

Circus Records Circus Records is an independent record label founded by Joshua "Flux Pavilion" Steele, Shaun "Doctor P" Brockhurst, Simon Swan and Earl Falconer in 2009. Kanye West and Jay-Z sampled the Flux Pavilion song "I Can't Stop" in "Who Gon Stop Me" ...

, as well as TV commercials for Virgin Media (the sponsor for

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloqui ...

), Ford, and Campari in Germany. Kela also appeared as a special guest for Rapper

Samy Deluxe Samy Sorge (born 19 December 1977), commonly known as Samy Deluxe, Wickeda MC or Sam Semillia, is a German rapper and record producer from Hamburg. Early life Samy was two years old when his Sudanese father left Germany. Samy grew up with h ...

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

performance on

MTV Germany MTV Germany is a German language free-to-air television channel operated by Paramount Global. The channel launched on 7 March 1997 as MTV Central, as part of a regionalisation strategy by Paramount Global, then MTV Networks Europe. Availabi ...

. In 2018, Kela started a self-titled weekly Podcast, a series focussing on Artist2Artist chat on music and street culture, where each episode talks to high profiled legacy artists and underground kings/queens of the competitive creative world who's roots have come from international street culture. From Musical Artists, to graffiti writers, to fashion pioneers- Kela’s show allows our guests to indulge in a more passionate conversation into their musical drives, tastes, creative beliefs and ultimately, what they stand for as artists. In 2019, Kela created the Killa Kela Livestream show, the home for street culture with guests that included; Dynamo, Goldie, Basement Jaxx, Shola Ama, Kurrupt FM, Bob Vylan, Terry Walker, Deno Driz, Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan) Example & The Stanton Warriors. This has gone onto Kela creating the Kelavision App, with the inclusion of weekly mini docs, the Kelavision DJ team and more, servicing the world of music and competitive street culture.

Personal life

In 2007, his year-long relationship with the UK actress

Patsy Kensit Patricia Jude Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and was the lead singer of the pop band Eighth Wonder in the 1980s. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Bir ...

came to an end.

Discography

*Antistatic Mouthwash mix tape (2000) *Heavy Artillery – All Terrain Series (2001) *Crop Circles – All Terrain Series (2001) *Permanent Marker (2002) *For Those Who've Joined Us (2003) *Jawbreaker (2003) *Elocution (2005) *Secrets (2005) *Days That Shook The World Mix CD (2006) *Reveal Your Inner Self (2007) *Ontourvandamage Mix CD (2008) *NightWatcher (2008) *Built Like An Amplifier (2009) *Everyday single (2010) *Amplified! released through 100% Records (2010) *Killa Kela & Eklips "Crowd Control" EP (2013) *Them&Us "All Dolled Up EP" through Rubbaduck records (2014) *Them&Us and Stanton Warriors "Cut Me Up" through Punks Records (2015) *Them&Us "Chapter One: And So It Begins" EP Through Mermaid Punk/Them&Us (2015) *Them&Us "Chaper Two: The Great Escape" EP Through Mermaid Punk/Them&Us (2015) *Them&Us "Chaper Two: The Great Escape" EP (The Beatbox Version) Through Mermaid Punk/Them&Us (2015) *Them&Us "Chapter Three: Icarus" Through Mermaid Punk/Them&Us (2016) *Killa Kela "Body Parts" Through Splice (2018) *Killa Kela & Yunis "Smoke The Hydro" (2018)

References

External links

Killa Kela's websiteActhook Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kela, Killa 1983 births Living people People from West Sussex British beatboxers English hip hop musicians