Tkandz
Ayotomiwa Akande, known professionally as Tkandz, is a Nigerian-British rapper from Essex. He is currently based in London. Akande first rose to fame with his single "No Sleep" with artists T'jugga and Shiloh Dynasty, but would later find a resurgence in his career, with the release of his track "NOW OR NEVER" with CXSPER, which went viral over social media, and charted in multiple territories.
Early life
Akande was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but moved to the United Kingdom at a young age. He taught himself how to make music on BandLab at the age of 15.Career
Beginning and early singles
In 2022, Akande released his first song, titled "Rainy Days" with Kes and T'jugga. His second release, "No Sleep", featuring T'jugga and Shiloh Dynasty began to go viral on social media, marking it as his official breakout single. After his breakout, Akande would continue to release music, but would find a resurgence in his career when he released his most-streamed single as of yet, titled "Now or Never". The track immediately went viral on TikTok, and it would also become Akande's first-ever track to debut on the Billboard Global 200, peaking at number 152 on the chart dated 18 October 2025. "Now or Never" also entered Spotify's Top 50 daily charts in the UK, Poland, and the Netherlands, amongst others. Additionally, the professional football club, Paris Saint-Germain FC, used the audio in one of their TikTok posts. Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona also used the audio in his post. Magazine Marie Claire, also used the audio on one of their TikTok posts. According to NME, Akande is working on a new EP, titled Prodigy. Additionally, it was announced that Akande would be performing at his very first ever Rolling Loud festival in Australia.Personal life
Tkandz met his go-to producer, CXSPER, on a Discord call. The two met when the producer was consistently sending beats to Akande, which he respected. After getting to know each other, the two would talk about video games, memes and stuff outside music. Akande cited how if he needs "real energy", the first person he'll go to is CXSPER, as he had it from day one, according to the rapper. That is also how the two made their track, "NOW OR NEVER".According to Akande, his big dream is to go to Germany, Italy, and France to connect with new people outside of the United Kingdom. His second goal is to get a gold record or go platinum. According to Akande, he says it doesn't make him feel finished, and makes him even "hungrier", as he's always in "competition with himself". His mom is his biggest supporter.