Keith Ape

Lee Dongheon
Native name 이동헌 (Lee Dong Heon)
Birth name Lee Dongheon
Also known as Keith Ape, Kid Ash
Born (1993-12-25) December 25, 1993
Seoul, South Korea
Genres Hip hop, Trap music
Occupation(s) Rapper
Years active 2012-present
Labels CXSHXNLY Records
(former Hi-Lite)
Associated acts The Cohort, Okasian, Reddy, JayAllDay, Bryan Cha$e, Sung-jin Park, KOHH, Loota, ASAP Ferg, Waka Flocka, Dumbfoundead, Father, Denzel Curry

Dongheon Lee, better known by his stage name Keith Ape, is a South Korean trap artist.[1]

His hit single 잊지마 (It G Ma)[2] was released on January 1, 2015,[1][3] [4] and was picked by Billboard K-Town as #5 on the K-pop 2015 top list of songs.[5]

Musical style and reception

He has been called the "Korean OG Maco" and noted for an exciting concert performance at 2015's SXSW rap showcase, among other performances which included J. Cole, Big Sean, Future, Migos, Rae Sremmurd, and more.[6] His concert at SOB's in 2015 was listed as one of The New York Times top 40 picks, "unrestrained mayhem", and "a clear inheritor of Southern rap rowdiness".[7]

Controversy

On February 4, 2015, he was accused by OG Maco of cultural appropriation.[8] Claiming Keith Ape, and friends, had mocked him by using black stereotypes to sell music in their video of "It G Ma". He also claimed that they had stolen the basis for their track from his hit single U Guessed It.[8] As of August 13, 2015, OG Maco collects royalties from "It G Ma", and has since deleted his tweets regarding his accusations of cultural appropriation.[9] Nonetheless, he declined an invitation to be a part of the later remix rendition of "It G Ma".[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Kwak, Donnie (July 29, 2015). "Keith Ape Is Ready to Be the World’s Next Trap Star". Complex. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  2. ↑ 잊지마 (It G Ma), retrieved 2015-12-14
  3. ↑ "KEITH APE'15 ⊕". SoundCloud. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
  4. ↑ Kameir, Rawiya (January 23, 2015). "This Guy In South Korea Is Taking His Obsession With American Rap To The Next Level". The Fader. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
  5. ↑ Jeff Benjamin and Jessica Oak (December 30, 2015). "The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  6. ↑ Kramer, Kyle (March 22, 2015). "The Craziest Rap Show at SXSW Was a Korean Import". Noisey. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  7. ↑ Jon Pareles, Ben Ratliff, Jon Caramanica and Nate Chinendec (December 29, 2015). "All the Best Concerts, of What the Critics Have Seen". Retrieved January 2, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "American rapper OG Maco accuses Korean rapper Keith Ape of cultural appropriation by copying 'U Guessed It'". Allkpop. February 7, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Caramanica, Jon (August 13, 2015). "Getting Rowdy: Keith Ape and Real Rap in Korea". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2016.


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