AKKO GORILLA

Akido Ikeda, better known as Akko Gorilla, is a Japanese rapper and drummer. Born on June 30, 1988, in the Nerima Ward of Tokyo, Japan Akido began playing music at a young age, including piano and drums, which she continued after graduating high school. While working as a radio and TV reporter, Akko Gorilla became the drummer for the female pop/rock band Happy Birthday in 2011, using the stage name Akko, which was an alteration of her last name, Akiko, adding "Gorilla" to her pseudonym after gaining an interest in the way gorillas communicate with each other through rhythm. In January 2017, she won the first female-only MC battle, CINDERELLA MCBATTLE, in Shibuya, Tokyo, gaining recognition in the Japanese battle rap scene. She released her debut album, TOKYO BANANA in January 2016, followed by the EP Back to the Jungle and several singles leading up to her EP, Green Queen, in early 2017. In April 2018, she re-released the title track from her debut album on the Tokyo Banana 2018 EP followed by her first major-label single, "Yoyuu (Margins / A Cinch)," with Sony Music Japan. She released her second album, 2018 GRRRLISM in 2018, which paid tribute to the Riot Grrrl movement's ethos of breaking gender, age, and nationality boundaries. She continued to release new music, with the EP Miracle Me appearing in February 2020. In November 2022, Akko Gorilla released her second EP, GREEN QUEEN; a collaborative effort with various guest artists appearing on each track, which earned the artist positive reviews and in March 2023, she returned with new track "Power Spot" which charted at number 37.

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