Ak'Sent facts for kids

Krystle Kantrece Johnson (born May 29, 1987), known by her stage name Ak'Sent, is an American rapper. She grew up in Los Angeles, California.

Ak'Sent's Early Life and Music Journey

Ak'Sent's father, Charles Johnson, was African-American, and her mother, Magali Padilla, was Mexican. Ak'Sent faced challenges early in life. Her father, who loved hip-hop, passed away when she was four years old. After this, she went to live with her grandparents in South Central, Los Angeles.

When Ak'Sent was just 16, she signed with Capitol Records. Since then, she has worked with many famous artists and producers. These include The Jugganauts, DJ Quik, and Beenie Man. Ak'Sent believes that hip-hop is a form of "street poetry." She tries to avoid showing violence in her music.

Her first album, International, came out on September 26, 2006. Her second album, Gem-In-I, was released in Japan on July 16, 2008. Ak'Sent is currently working on her third album and a mixtape.

How Ak'Sent Started in Music

Even though Ak'Sent signed with a big record label at 16, she sometimes wondered where she fit in because of her African-American and Latino background. Also, rap music wasn't allowed in her grandparents' home. But as she learned more about her father's dreams in hip-hop, she decided to follow in his footsteps.

She joined several R&B girl groups and started taking dance lessons with Debbie Allen. At one show when she was 16, she impressed everyone. Soon, she signed with Capitol Records and began working with a production team called The Jugganauts. Ak'Sent loved the Caribbean-style beats they were making. She started writing many dancehall songs. One of these became her hit song "Zingy," which featured Beenie Man. Ak'Sent chose him because she was a big fan!

Her first album, International, was released in 2006. It included a Spanish version of "Zingy." It also had a song called "My Life," which was a tribute to her father.

Ak'Sent's Music Albums and Songs

Albums

International

• Release Date: September 26, 2006 (Japan Dec 15, 2007)
• Professional reviews: Allmusic gave it 3 out of 5 stars.

Songs on International

• "My Life"
• "Zingy" featuring Beenie Man
• "Pick Up"
• "The Bomb"
• "All I Need"
• "Sak Passe"
• #1
• "If U Were My Baby"
• "Be Careful"
• "We Rule"
• "Krunk Krunk"
• "I Gets Down"
• "My Peoples"
• "Keep It Movin'"
• "International"
• "Zingy" featuring Beenie Man & Sinful (Spanish Version)
• "Where I Come From"
• "Hold Up"
• "Bounce"

Gem-In-I

• Release Date: July 16, 2008 (Japan only)

Songs on Gem-In-I

• "Stronger"
• "Losing Control"
• "Big City"
• "U So Hollywood"
• "Lock Him Down"
• "We R The Party"
• "..."
• "Low"
• "Crush"
• "Sexxxy"
• "Can't Say No"
• "I Hate Love"
• "Hoodhustlin'"
• "Hood Boy"

Singles

• "Zingy" featuring Beenie Man was released on March 7, 2006.
• "Losing Control"

Music videos

Songs on Other Albums

• 2005: "This One" from the Coach Carter movie soundtrack.
• 2007: "Zingy" (Original Remix) on Major Flavours 2.
• 2009: "This Is My Life" from the Fame movie soundtrack.

Other Appearances and Projects

• Ak'Sent helped write and performed the song "This One" for the movie Coach Carter.
• She also had a role in the 2009 movie Fame. Her song "This Is My Life" is on the movie's soundtrack. She performs it with Hopsin, Tynisha Keli, and Donte "Burger" Winston.
• Ak'Sent was featured on the song "Boyhunter" by Canadian rock star Skye Sweetnam. This song was a special release on MySpace.
• Ak'Sent's song "Bounce" was included in the video game NBA Street V3.
• Her song "Pick Up" was featured in the video game Thrillville.
• She was also featured in singer Paula DeAnda's song "Clap ta This" from her album.

Images for kids

• Ak'sent performing in Tokyo, Jappn.

  Ak'Sent performing in Tokyo, Japan.