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Leikeli47

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Leikeli47
Also known asLeikeli
GenresHip hop
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active2003–present

Leikeli47 (or Leikeli) is an American rapper[1] signed to RCA Records. In 2018, she released her second full-length album, Acrylic.[2] Until 2024, she was known for concealing her face with a bandana or balaclava at all performances and professional appearances.[3]

Early life

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Leikeli47 was raised in both Virginia and New York, primarily in the Virginia and Brooklyn neighborhoods of Danville, Norfolk, Brownsville and Bedford–Stuyvesant.[1][4][5] She is of Trinidadian and Guyanese descent.[6] She described herself as having been a shy child who was interested in becoming a rapper from a young age. She cites Michael Jackson and N.E.R.D. as some of her favorite performers.[5]

Career

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Prior to being signed to RCA Records, Leikeli released a mixtape in 2010 titled LK-47.[7] This was followed by a string of releases including the sequel mixtape LK-47 Pt. II in 2014[1] and a self-titled EP in 2015, Leikeli47.[8] In 2015, Leikeli's song "Fuck the Summer Up" was included on Jay-Z's inaugural Tidal self titled playlist.[9]

Leikeli's first full-length debut, Wash & Set, was released on September 8, 2017.[10] It was received positively by critics. Afropunk.com wrote, "the album showcases Leikeli47’s distinctively hard-hitting yet playful lyricism, genre-bending musicianship, and enigmatic character."[11] Darryl Robertson wrote for Vibe, "the dynamic, and featureless, effort is loaded with creativity, vigor and the power of her own feminism. It's evident that Leikeli is aiming to break rules and push boundaries hip-hop."[12]

Acrylic was released on November 15, 2018.[13] The title was inspired by her mixture of southern, Caribbean, and city roots.[4] The first single on the album, "Girl Blunt", was featured on the third season of Insecure [14] and on the first season of The Wilds.[15] The album received positive critical reviews. Jenn Pelly wrote at Pitchfork.com: "Her flow is always gripping, her details novelistic: An aunt sells candy from a windowpane, an extension cord snakes across a hallway, and the lights flicker in an E train tunnel."[14] Dhruva Balram wrote for NME, "At times, and especially on ‘Iron Mike’, Leikeli47 sounds like the best of M.I.A, Cardi B and Kamaiyah rolled into one."[16] Acrylic was named one of NPR's 50 Best Albums of 2018, as well as other lists including Paper Magazine,[17] Esquire,[18] and Forbes.[19] Acrylic is the second part of a planned music trilogy that Leikeli has developed, called the "Beauty Series".[7]

She stated that the next installment to the "Beauty Series" will be called Shape Up.[4] About the theme of beauty salons, she told The Fader, "They're safe havens for all of us — all women, but especially the African-American community. I wanted to create a body of work that spoke to not looking like what you actually are going through."[5] She has stated that she seeks to normalize Black beauty standards, such as decorated fingernails.[20]

Leikeli performed with Pharrell during his I Am Other set at 2017's Complexcon,[21] as well as Natalie Portman's Boston Calling set in 2018, held at Portman's alma mater Harvard University.[22]

Her first headlined tour began in March 2019.[23]

Leikeli47's third album Shape Up was released on May 13, 2022 and received positive reviews. Pitchfork.com gave the album an 8.0 and wrote "The anonymous Brooklyn rapper's third album is a little bolder and a little rawer, but it's her versatility-across hip-hop, ballroom, house, and R&B-that keeps her sound fresh."[24]

In October 2024 Leikeili47 announced her forth album, Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only, would be following in the coming months. On October 25, 2024 she released '450' as the lead single. The video was shot in black and white, and shows Leikeili47 removing her face covering and performing public for the first time. [25]

Persona

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Leikeli is known for being private and has not released her legal name or performed without her face covered.[26] In June 2019, she told Cultured Magazine, "Being black, we gotta learn how to wear a mask early." When asked about the meaning to her name in an interview with Snobette, she said that "it’s special to me, but I don’t need to share the reasoning behind it."[27]

According to an interview with Vibe, she conceals her face because "I feel like the Dark Knight, or one of those superheroes, or Superman… the mask, it represents freedom. I'm free with it on."[12]

In 2024, with the release of '450', Leikeili47 removed her face covering. In a press release ahead of her forth album she stated "It feels right. It’s time. The mask served its purpose, and now we move forward.” [28]

Discography

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Studio albums

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EPs

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  • Leikeli47 (2015)[8]
  • Pick a Color – Acrylic (2018)[31]
  • Design – Acrylic (2018)[31]

Mixtapes

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  • LK-47 (2010 First / 2012 Final)
  • The Flower Shop as Told by Brett Elway (2013)
  • LK-47 Pt. II (2014)
  • LK-47 Pt. III (2015)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kramer, Kyle. "Invincible Eyes: What's Beneath Leikeli47's Mask?". Vice. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  2. ^ "Acrylic by Leikeli47". November 15, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2019 – via itunes.apple.com.
  3. ^ "Leikeli47 Refashions Anonymity in Her Own Image". Cultured Magazine. June 18, 2019. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "Leikeli47 Is Ready to Give Hip-Hop a New Look". Pitchfork. November 21, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c "Leikeli47's love letter to black sacred spaces". The FADER. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  6. ^ "It's been an 'interesting' musical journey for incognito rapper Leikeli47". Chicago Sun Times. March 20, 2019.
  7. ^ a b Chesman, Donna-Claire. "Leikeli47 is Truth, Strength, and Love Personified". DJBooth. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Leikeli47". Discogs. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  9. ^ "JAY-Z: F**k the Summer Up". TIDAL Browse – High Fidelity Music Streaming. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  10. ^ "Leikeli47 Is Ready to Give Hip-Hop a New Look". Pitchfork. November 21, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  11. ^ "Brooklyn rapper Leikeli47 drops breathtaking debut album and new video "M I L K"". AFROPUNK. September 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  12. ^ a b "Leikeli47 Brings Creativity And Vigor On Her Debut Album, 'Wash & Set'". Vibe. September 8, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  13. ^ Coleman II, C. Vernon. "Leikeli47 Shares Release Date for New Album and Three New Song". XXL Mag. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Pelly, Jenn. "Leikeli47: Acrylic". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  15. ^ "Tune Find Com The Wilds".
  16. ^ Balram, Dhruva (November 23, 2018). "Leikeli47 – 'Acrylic' review". NME. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "PAPER's Top 20 Albums of 2018". PAPER. December 17, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  18. ^ Miller, Matt (November 28, 2018). "The Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2018". Esquire. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  19. ^ Suarez, Gary. "10 Great Hip-Hop Albums From 2018 You May Have Missed". Forbes. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  20. ^ Corry, Kristin; Friedlander, Emilie; Ozzi, Dan (November 16, 2018). "An Interview in a Nail Salon with Leikeli47 About Her New Album 'Acrylic'". Noisey. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  21. ^ "Watch Special Guests 2 Chainz, Lil Uzi Vert, and Migos Surprise the Pigeons & Planes Stage at ComplexCon". Complex. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  22. ^ "St. Vincent, Zola Jesus to Join Natalie Portman at Boston Calling 2018". Pitchfork. May 16, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  23. ^ "Invincible Eyes: What's Beneath Leikeli47's Mask?". www.vice.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  24. ^ "St. Vincent, Zola Jesus to Join Natalie Portman at Boston Calling 2018". Pitchfork. May 16, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  25. ^ Brodsky, Rachel. "Leikeli47 Unmasks To Announce New Album Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only". Stereogum. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  26. ^ Bacher, Danielle (September 20, 2016). "Leikeli47 On Using Music as Survival". Paper.
  27. ^ "Leikeli47 Opens Up About Her Name And The Reason She Wears A Mask". SNOBETTE. July 26, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  28. ^ Brodsky, Rachel. "Leikeli47 Unmasks To Announce New Album Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only". Stereogum. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  29. ^ "Leikeli47 | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  30. ^ Brodsky, Rachel. "Leikeli47 Unmasks To Announce New Album Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only". Stereogum. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Leikeli47 Reveals 'Acrylic' Album Release Date: Stream First 3 Tracks". Vibe. October 24, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2020.

Further reading

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