The son of Dominican parents, left-field pop artist Shakka -- a singer, songwriter, and producer -- was raised in London, England and was exposed to music at an early age by his father, a member of a reggae band. Shakka studied at London's Centre for Young Musicians and debuted in July 2009 with an EP, Foolishness, Vol. 1 -- a mix of pop, rap, and reggae he deprecatingly referred to as "the early babbling stages of a haphazard singer/songwriter." A conceptual mixtape release, The Shakka Crown Affair, followed in March 2011