Labtekwon (born Omar Akbar) is a Hip Hop artist.Shapiro, Peter (2005) ''The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop'', Rough Guides, , p.219 His name is an
acronym
An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in '' NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, a ...
for "Lifeform Advanced Beyond Terrestrial Esoterics King Warrior Of Nubia."
Career
Labtekwon is an emcee from Baltimore, Maryland and son of soul musician Doc Soul Stirrer. and the Labtekwon became a fixture in the global underground with a long string of albums in his ''Labteknology'' series from 1994 to 2000. He was invited to
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 wor ...
by the
Project Blowed
Project Blowed is an open-mic workshop, its affiliated underground hip hop crew and record label based in Los Angeles, California at 3333 Leimert. This hip hop function started in 1994 and features many music groups, emcees, dancers, music pr ...
collective to perform in 1999. In 1998, ''
Baltimore City paper
''Baltimore City Paper'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1977 by Russ Smith (publisher), Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch. The most recent owner was the Baltimore Sun Media Group, which purchased th ...
'' created the category “Best MC” which Labtekwon would win several years between 1998 and 2003, becoming a regular fixture in the paper's "
Best of Baltimore
''Baltimore City Paper'' was a free alternative weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland, founded in 1977 by Russ Smith and Alan Hirsch. The most recent owner was the Baltimore Sun Media Group, which purchased the paper in 2014 from T ...
" list. He has performed at the Lyricist Lounge in New York and was a champion of the Zulu Nation Freestyle Competition in 1995.
Labtekwon has shared the stage with
Afrika Bambaata
Lance Taylor (born on April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is an American DJ, rapper, and producer from the South Bronx, New York. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influence ...
,
Rakim
William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of ...
,
Kool Keith
Keith Matthew Thornton (born October 7, 1963), better known by his stage name Kool Keith, is an American rapper and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, known for his surreal, abstract and often profane or incomprehensible lyrics. Kool ...
,
MF DOOM
Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...
,
Psycho Les
The Beatnuts are an American hip hop group and production duo from New York City. Its current members are JuJu and Psycho Les. JuJu (born Jerry Tineo on December 14, 1968) is a Dominican American from Corona and Psycho Les (born Lester Fernand ...
,
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip , Brand Nubian, KRS-One, Black Thought, Aceyalone,
Digital Underground
Digital Underground was an American alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. Their personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour.
Digital Underground's leader and mainstay was Gregory "Shock G" Jacobs (also known as Humpty H ...
, including his group the 410 Pharaohs on the first Baltimore Club Music/ Hip Hop hybrid album, ''410 Funk''.
Discography
* ''The Brotherhood of Soul'' (1988)
* ''C Funk Laboratories'' (1990)
* ''The Ghetto Gospel EP'' (1993)
* ''Labteknology, Volume 0: Baltimoorish Science'' (1997)
* ''Labteknology, Volume 1: The Future's Now...What's Next?'' (1994)
* ''Labteknology, Volume 2: Ladies Night (Live From Hell)" (1999)
* ''Labteknology, Volume 3: Proverbs of Passion'' (1995)
* "Labteknology, Volume 4: Nile Child: King of Kings (1998)
* ''Labteknology, Volume 5: Da Dawn'' (1995)
* ''Labteknology, Volume 7: Da Helpless Won'' (1996)
* ''Labteknology, Volume 8: Justus On Da Horizon'' (1998)
* ''Labteknology, Volume 9: The Art of Love'' (1999)
* "The Piankhi 7 Papyrus" (2000)
* ''Song of the Sovereign'' (2002)
* ''Hustlaz Guide to the Universe: Post Apocalyptic Version'' (2003)
* ''Murdaland Volume Won: Classic Jack Moves'' (2003)
* ''The Ghetto Dai Lai Llama: Hood Mystic'' (2005)
* ''Avant God'' (2005)
* "Ghettoclectic: King of The Slowburn" (2006)
* ''Population Control: Wrath of The Black Eniggma'' (2006)
* ''93,000,000 Miles Rising (Killa Kamillionz)'' (2006)
* ''Jazzhall: The Epitome of Epiphany (The Tao of Slick)'' (2007)
* ''Emmett Till's Revenge (CSD)'' (2007)
* ''410 Funk (410 Pharaohs)'' (2008)
* ''Di Na Ko Degg: Soul Power'' (2009)
* "NEXT: Baltimore Basquiat and the Future Shock" (2010)
* ''Hardcore: Labtekwon and the Righteous Indignation-Rootzilla vs Masta Akbar'' (2012)
* ''Evolutionary: The Omar Akbar Album/State of the Art'' (2013)
* ''B.O.P.: The Theology of Timing/Tehuti and the Het Hero Cult'' (2014)
* ''Sun of Sekhmet: The Rejected Stone-Mahdi Music'' (2017)
* ''KHUNSU'' (2017)
* ''The Black Arts Social Club presents: Baby Doc and The Fantasy of a Baltimore Paradox'' (2021)
* ''Dide Ti Sopdet (Rise of Sirius)'' (2021)
* ''Black Boogie Man: Revenge of the Last Emcee'' (2023)
Personal life
Labtekwon is the youngest son of soul singer Harry Young, Jr., also known as "Doc Soul Stirrer". He graduated from Douglass High School, following in the footsteps of the Baltimore group Z3MC. He also holds a baccalaureate degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a masters of arts degree from Morgan State University, and a doctorate degree from Howard University.