Unhinged & Immoral Ep. 41: "Unhinged & Unplugged With Akeem Ali"

Hosts: Jamila Bell & Mecca Evans
Guest: Akeem Ali (aka Kimi Casanova)
Date: September 17, 2025

Main Theme:

This episode delves into the meteoric rise and unique artistry of rapper and lyricist Akeem Ali, known for his blend of retro funk and sharp wordplay, his roots in Jackson, Mississippi, and his experiences as an independent artist. True to the "Unhinged & Immoral" brand, the conversation is unfiltered, hilarious, and at times wildly explicit, spanning topics from internet fame and touring to black cultural preservation, personal style, and sexual antics. The episode also includes an electrifying live performance from Akeem.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Getting to Know Akeem Ali: Southern Roots and Signature Style

• Mississippi Pride: The conversation opens with Jackson, MS being called "the blackest city in America," highlighting Akeem's cultural roots.
  • [01:14] Jamila: “It’s black.”
  • [01:15] Mecca: “It’s black for sure.”
• Wordplay Origins: Akeem’s love for funk, witty “isms,” and the unique blend of influences that inform his music and persona.
  • [02:36] Akeem: “It’s like, literally from everything that I’ve watched or seen growing up. It’s a piece of, like, everything.”
• Origins as an Artist:
  • Started rapping at 11, inspired by Chris Brown.
  • [04:03] Akeem: “I wrote my first rap to Popping by Chris Brown… I was 11. The song was number 11. I was 11.”
• Fun banter about zodiac signs, with Akeem revealing he shares a birthday with hip hop itself (August 11th).
  • [06:05] Akeem: “Hip hop was born August 11, 1973… I got the same birthday as hip hop.”

2. The Tour Life: Challenges & Growth

• Touring Independently: Akeem shares what it’s truly like to finance, plan, and manage a tour as an indie artist.
  • [13:16] Akeem: “I had to raise, like, a good, good deal over six figures to go on tour. I had to learn what paying people was about. Showing up every day, even when I didn’t feel like it.”
• Working with Poetry on Peter: The role of a passionate all-women promo team.
  • [09:16] Akeem: “I was impressed. And I told everybody about it. I was like, man, it was these girls. I was like, they were girling.”
• Challenges: Highlights interpersonal struggles on tour (“sometimes I wanted to slap the… out of somebody”), the urge to hold it together, and the realities of being “the boss.”

3. Independence & Integrity in the Industry

• Akeem is ambivalent about staying indie—he’s open to signing if “the money is right,” but values keeping his earnings.
  • [11:32] Akeem: “I don’t know if it means anything to me, to be honest. The work just has to get done. I don’t stop and be like, I’m independent.”
  • [12:17] Akeem: “I get everything comes to me, and I don’t have to split the pie…”

4. Style, Confidence & Breaking Stereotypes

• Akeem’s unique, vintage style dates back to high school—penny loafers, bow ties, sweaters—all before it was cool.
  • [21:07] Akeem: “I didn’t know what I was going to put on today… I’ve been dressing like this since high school, since like ninth grade.”
  • Was sometimes mocked for his fashion (“fruit… can get a bit phobic sometimes” [22:26]), but his style was self-defined and bold.

5. Sexuality, Humour, and Cultural Taboo

• Sexual banter & rapid-fire: The discussion veers into explicit territory, covering favorite sexual characteristics, sex positions, music for sex, and butt-eating (yes, really).
  • [41:19] Akeem: “My favorite physical characteristic in a woman? Gotta be, like, the face… how pretty they are in the face.”
  • [46:28] Mecca: “Do you eat butt?”
    Akeem: “Yes. On days that end with a Y.”
    Jamila: “He eats ass every day.”
• On being on his own sex playlist:
  • [51:38] Akeem: “I created a playlist one day, and it’s of songs that I have out and unreleased songs. And I fuck so good to it.”
• Sex positions & style: Akeem describes his own invented move, “the goddamn goddamn”/“every way but loose,” which the hosts try to deconstruct.
• Hilarious and candid, the hosts and guest share personal and cultural quirks, from sagging in skinny jeans to regional food delicacies (pickles with hot chips or Jolly Ranchers, sugar sandwiches, “Viena” sausages, and more).

6. Preserving Black Culture: Where Art Meets Identity

• Authenticity Over Preservation: Akeem discusses how just being himself is a form of cultural preservation.
  • [34:31] Akeem: “Well, you don’t preserve something if you are it. Like, I can’t not be Black, Embodiment.”
• On Sampling & Southern Identity: He samples music like Teddy Pendergrass instinctively, not strategically.
  • [35:38] Akeem: “It don’t even be, like, a on-purpose thing… As soon as I start writing, I’d be like, this got to be some shit that’s gonna make [Black people] just be like, what the fuck?”
• Regionalism in Rap: The hosts and Akeem discuss the revival of regional sounds; Mississippi, through artists like him and Big K.R.I.T., is finally earning a sonic identity.
  • [39:35] Akeem: “We don’t even have a sound where I’m from, though. I feel like I have to be the person that gives Mississippi a sound.”

7. Criticism, Identity & Resilience

• On Critique & Misunderstanding: Akeem is unfazed by those who question his style, sexuality, or authenticity.
  • [30:30] Akeem: “You gotta know you’re subject to criticism with whatever you’re doing. Once you put it out there, you got to detach yourself from the outcome or how people are going to receive it.”
  • Uses examples of Michael Jackson, Prince, and Whitney Houston as artists whose paths were questioned.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Tour Logistics & Hard Lessons [13:16]:
  “I thought I would have needed, like, five digits to go on tour… then I’m looking at shit, I’m like, yeah, I’m going to need $80,000. And then I’m like, I need $100,000. Shit, I need $150,000. I need a million dollars to go on this tour.”

• On Sexual Preference Speculation [31:10]:
  “Whitney Houston…like, she was gay.” – Mecca
  “I didn’t know she was.” – Akeem

• On Preserving Culture [34:31]:
  “You don’t preserve something if you are it… I can’t not be Black. Embodiment.”

• On Sex Playlists [51:38]:
  “I created a playlist one day, and it’s of songs that I have out and unreleased songs. And I fuck so good to it.” – Akeem

• On Eating Butt [46:28]:
  “On days that end with a Y.” – Akeem

• On Style [21:07]:
  “I’ve been dressing like this since high school.” – Akeem

• On Self-Confidence as Pickup Line [68:25]:
  “I am the pickup line. Like, once you see me, you know whether you want to or don’t want to.” – Akeem

• On Black Food Culture [60:33]:
  “This is something you can only get from the corner store… you get you a pickle at the big jar, right? …bite the tip off of it…you get you a Jolly Rancher and put it in the middle.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:58] – Akeem’s first rap & musical beginnings
• [06:05] – Shares birthday with hip hop
• [09:16–11:21] – On working with Poetry on Peter & team dynamics
• [13:16–15:08] – Realities of running a tour
• [21:07–24:01] – Fashion, confidence, and high school experiences
• [28:19–31:58] – On serving core fans, being misunderstood & LGBTQ rumors
• [34:31–36:38] – Musical blackness, preserving culture
• [39:35–40:44] – Mississippi’s sound and influence of Big K.R.I.T.
• [41:04–45:00] – Sex talk rapid-fire: attraction, lube, butt-eating, and more
• [51:38] – Sex playlist confession
• [63:37–64:56] – Favorite sex position (“the goddamn goddamn”)
• [66:03] – Sex toys & anal discussion
• [68:25] – Pickup lines & self-assurance
• [69:41] – Upcoming project: "Texture Tape 3"
• [70:29–76:44] – Live performance: “Polyester” and “Good Looking Adjectives”

Episode Highlights & Vibe

• Unfiltered and Shameless: Sexual topics are tackled with humor and frankness, perfectly matching the show’s “unhinged & immoral” premise.
• Southern Storytelling: Food, dialects, and regional quirks foreground conversations about identity and authenticity.
• Support for Black Women: Sincere praise of the women-led promo team and open praise for Black women, their labor, and their art.
• Akeem’s Humor: His one-liners and banter create countless quotable moments, balancing self-aware masculinity with warmth and southern charm.
• Music as Embodiment: Performing both as guest and creator, Akeem connects his artistry back to cultural embodiment and lived Black Southern experience.

Live Performance [70:29–76:44]

Akeem performs “Polyester” and “Good Looking Adjectives,” demonstrating his signature blend of clever lyricism and nostalgia-laced funk. The performance is energetic, with playful ego and wordplay on full display:

• [73:33]: “I go by big daddy, I go by fine as hell. I go by choosy lover…”
• [74:23]: “I look dazzling…I look delectable…I look delightful, scratch that, I’m ten of them…”

Upcoming Releases

• Texture Tape 3:
  [69:41] – Announced as Akeem’s next project set to be released soon on all platforms.

Final Word

A wildly entertaining and candid episode that spotlights Akeem Ali’s authenticity, humor, and southern Black pride, making it both an essential listen for fans of indie hip hop and those craving irreverent, honest cultural commentary.

End of Summary