Akinyele first started rhyming after hearing 'Rapper's Delight' for the first time. He went to the same high school as Nas, Kool G Rap and Large Professor, working together as part of a team and also individually. Together with Nas, he rapped on Main Source 's 'Live At The BBQ' cut from Breaking Atoms. When Akinyele signed to Interscope, he enlisted the production services of Large Professor. The first single from the set, 'Ak Ha Ha! Ak Hoo Hoo?', introduced his trademark blend of sprightly braggadocio, often punctuated by a 'drop', wherein his voice lowered in pitch to emphasize a key word. The title of his debut album may have raised a few eyebrows, but he is in fact a no-drink, no-drugs rapper: 'The name of the album is Vagina Diner, only because I'm a cunning linguist, not a cunnilinguist.'.