Nikesh Shukla

Nikesh Shukla

Nikesh Shukla, who performs as Yam Boy, is a poet and rapper born in North West London and based in Brixton. His work combines rapping and spoken-word performance, with influences that include Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Chuck D, Saul Williams and Rabindranath Tagore.

His style is marked by dense syllable work and by themes of politics and spiritual rhetoric. He performs within the London slam poetry scene, including at venues such as Brixtongue, the Bug Bar and the Ritzy Cinema.