Keith Ape

In this Korean name, the family name is Lee.

Keith Ape 키스 에이프
Keith Ape performing in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Lee Dong-heon
Also known as	Kid Ash
Born	(1993-12-25) December 25, 1993 (age 30) Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Hip hop trap cloud rap scream rap drill
Occupations	Rapper songwriter
Years active	2011–present
Labels	88rising[1] (formerly known as CXSHXNLY)[2] Hi-Lite (former)
Member of	The Cohort

Lee Dong-heun (Korean: 이동헌; born December 25, 1993), known professionally as Keith Ape (키스 에이프) and previously known as Kid Ash, is a South Korean rapper from Seoul.^[3] He is a member of a crew called 'The Cohort'. Ape's breakout single "잊지마" ("It G Ma") was released on January 1, 2015,^[3][4][5][6] and was ranked by Billboard K-Town at number five on their list of the Best K-Pop Songs of 2015.^[7]

Musical style and reception

Keith Ape has been called the "Korean OG Maco" and noted for an exciting concert performance at 2015's South by Southwest rap showcase, among other performances which included Young Thug, Desiigner, Waka Flocka Flame, XXXTentacion, and more.^[8] 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".^[9]

Controversy

On February 4, 2015, he was accused by American rapper OG Maco of cultural appropriation.^[10] OG Maco claimed 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 plagiarized the basis for their track from his debut single "U Guessed It".^[10] 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.^[11] Nonetheless, he declined an invitation by Keith Ape to be part of a later remix rendition of "It G Ma".^[11]

Discography

Extended plays

Title	Album details
Born Again	Released: October 12, 2018 Label: 88rising Formats: Digital download
Ape Into Space	Released: November 8, 2022 Label: UnderWater Formats: Digital download
On! the Run	Released: July 19, 2024 Label: UnderWater Formats: Digital Download

Studio albums

Title	Album details
MOD: Ape's Basics in Time and Play	Released: September 20, 2021 Label: UnderWater Formats: LP, CD, Digital download
A.A.T (Aquatic Ape Theory) The Lost Tapes	Released: October 17, 2022 Label: UnderWater Formats: Cassette, Digital download
The X-Mas Is Mine	Released: December 25, 2023 Label: UnderWater Formats: Digital download

Collaborative albums

Title	Album details
Project: Brainwash (as Kid Ash with G2)	Released: January 22, 2014 Label: Luminant Entertainment Formats: CD, Digital download
$moke Under the Water (with City Morgue)	Released: March 11, 2022 Label: Hikari-Ultra, UnderWater Formats: Digital download

References

1. Liu, Marian (August 2, 2017). "Straight outa... China? The young Asian artists bucking hip-hop trends". CNN. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
2. Leonard, Devin (December 5, 2017). "The Man Who Sold the World on Asian Hip-Hop". Bloomberg. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
3. Kwak, Donnie (July 29, 2015). "Keith Ape Is Ready to Be the World's Next Trap Star". Complex. Retrieved January 2, 2015.
4. "KEITH APE'15 ⊕". SoundCloud. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
5. 잊지마 (It G Ma), retrieved December 14, 2015
6. 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.
7. Jeff Benjamin; Jessica Oak (December 30, 2015). "The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2015". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
8. Kramer, Kyle (March 22, 2015). "The Craziest Rap Show at SXSW Was a Korean Import". Noisey. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
9. Jon Pareles; Ben Ratliff; Jon Caramanica; Nate Chinendec (December 29, 2015). "All the Best Concerts, of What the Critics Have Seen". The New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
10. "American rapper OG Maco accuses Korean rapper Keith Ape of cultural appropriation by copying 'U Guessed It'". Allkpop. February 7, 2015. Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
11. Caramanica, Jon (August 13, 2015). "Getting Rowdy: Keith Ape and Real Rap in Korea". The New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2016.