André Akinyele was born in San Pablo, California as André Marcel Wilson, grew up in the San Francisco bay area, and now resides in Toronto, Canada. His first book, "Elliptical: The Music of Meshell Ndegeocello," received rave reviews. His second book "So, What's the Big Deal About Scrum: A Methodology Handbook for Developers" is one of the most popular and reliable go-to books for software and game developers. His latest book "LoveSexy Cocktail Guide" celebrates songs by Prince with 138 cocktail recipes. André is an author, entrepreneur, and a musician. He's also a game developer and software engineer. He holds a Master's in Information Technology. André is the owner of Bombay Recording Co., Pearl Jazz Recording, Orange River Records and Books, and the tech company Ajamu. In January 2021, all companies merged into one conglomerate under André Akinyele Studios. He has recorded under the names Marcel (1998–2004), Ajamu Akinyele (2005–2006), as the bassist of Gemini Soul (2005–2015), and now records as André Akinyele. Also, he is the vocalist and keyboardist of Lavender Lush and the vocalist, guitarist, and bassist for Looking for Lester.