Artist: Leikeli47
Album: Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only
Label: Acrylic – Hardcover
Link: https://leikeli47.bandcamp.com/album/lei-keli-ft-47-for-promotional-use-only
Style: Rap, Hip-Hop
Leikeli47 talks about a shy child when she recalls her childhood, but she quickly decided to pursue a career in rap. As a teenager, she listened to N.E.R.D., Lauryn Hill, and the hugely popular Michael Jackson, and spent her time creating rhythms with whatever she could find. Her career really took off in 2010 with the release of mixtapes. The selection of one of her tracks for the launch playlist of the streaming platform Tidal gave her great exposure. After three EPs, she released her first album in 2017. When she appears in public, she remains masked so that listeners can focus on her music and will only reveal her face in 2024 with the video for the first single from this new album.
With lyrics imbued with feminism, advocating a takeover of power and the affirmation of women, particularly black women, Leikeli47 lets her firm or languid voice flow over the rare ballads. The instrumentation of her rap remains Hip-Hop-oriented but is based on electronica and draws inspiration from both House and Dancehall. There are also links to modern Latin and Caribbean music scenes and the Ballroom movement, which is based in New York, where the artist currently lives. While a few samples are easily recognizable, they are far from central to this music, which can sometimes seem experimental compared to the current rap scene, much to the artist’s credit!
Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only is rich in machine-created rhythms, and its sound, sometimes a little surgical, often displays clarity and definition to match. While it may pose a problem for fans of older music and even older rap, it will delight those who love engaging bass lines with the possibility of turning up the volume without compromise, without anything overflowing. In addition, Leikeli47’s vocals are varied, avoiding monotony with constantly modulated flows.