Imagine meeting your right-hand man because of a mutual match on Tinder. That’s how Laka [Azeez Alaka] and Brandon Holmes met in late 2017.
While Laka was looking for resources for a video shoot, he asked his Tinder match if she knew someone he could work with on a project. She put the two in contact, and the rest is history.
Once they met, they came to realize how much chemistry there was between them. And for the following two years, they worked releasing various music videos under the Laka Films, YouTube channel.
Before these two met and rebranded Laka Films to No More Heroes while in quarantine, they were doing their own thing.
Laka began his journey within videography, the music industry, and the creative scene at the age of 14. While in high school, he picked up his first camera and began to roast people on camera. After going viral one time, he decided he was going to be a YouTuber.
Laka then went on to create sketches, parodies and even dropped some music alongside that. He was also part TKO Entertainment, a Southside party group run by DJ Amaris [official DJ of Chief Keef.] This exposed him to a lot of up and coming rappers at the time, such as G Herbo and Famous Dex.
“Growing up around a lot of people, it made it easier to connect. They were starting off rapping, and I was starting off shooting [videos.]”
Laka
In late 2014 Laka Films was created, and Laka closely began to work with Famous Dex after Dex’s mother passed away.
“I was pretty much his right-hand man. We decided to drop every week. We were just shooting, shooting, shooting. I don’t remember which one, ‘2 Times’ or ‘Hoes Mad,’ caught a crazy wave. Then Drip from My Walk was the craziest. None of the songs we're a wave when they first dropped, it was kinda built into a wave. The whole city started rocking with him until around then.”
Laka
Brandon first picked up a camera in 2014 while in the studio with some friends and created a recap of the night. “It was bad but decent,” he said. Days later, he shot a recap for a Lucki show.
“Lucki reposted it on twitter and got a couple hundred retweets and likes. It was a big deal for me at the time. After that, I dropped out of college, quit my job, and moved to the city. That was enough for me to feel like I could do it.”
Brandon
When he began to focus on videography, he locked in with CupcakKe. He went on to film several videos for her, which paid his rent throughout the years. This also allowed him to begin working with artists he was a fan of.
During quarantine, both Laka and Brandon co-founded No More Heroes. The name came about while touring with Juice WRLD and noticing how many people it took for a single show to happen.
“The way the name resonated with us was like seeing him go out there every night it would be packed from 15,000 to 20,000 people. Day in and day out, many people contributed. Long story short, it wasn’t a one-man show. Even though people didn’t have the name or fame Juice had they had the power to make a difference and give people an experience of a lifetime.”
Brandon
To Laka and Brandon, whether your name is big or small, they believe everyone can be a hero in their community as somebody like Juice WRLD can be to many people.
“You can be your own hero and impact people. Another reason why we got No More Heroes is because we have sets with 30 people on payroll. We are building opportunities to keep on elevating people. The whole thing is empowering people and going to the next level.”
Laka
The next thing for No More Heroes is focusing on creating more original content such as Red Light Freestyles. A freestyle series that they have full creative control over, which recently featured G Herbo.
Both Brandon and Laka at 25 have been blessed enough to be in a position they never thought they’d be in. All while being able to give back to the community and creating positions for people in need. The next big thing in store for No More Heroes is opening up a studio, which can serve as a safe space for those who need the resources to create.
“We lose too many artists and, most importantly, the kids. They be out in places they don’t have to be because they don’t have anywhere to be.”
Laka
Recently during the George Floyd Protests, Laka and Brandon have been actively trying to create changes in black and brown communities. They put together a fundraiser to help rebuild Southside Chicago Black-owned business, which gathered $16,000. They also managed to bring together over 100 people to clean up the Southside of Chicago after the protests.
Moving forward, No More Heroes will focus on elevating communities and artists within them to get them out the hood and make a difference.