Leikeli47 | |
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Also known as | Leikeli |
Genres | Hip hop |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2003–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]
Born Rhashida Stafford, she 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 partial 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 the late Michael Jackson and N.E.R.D. as some of her favorite performers. [5]
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 future 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]
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]