Born Khalif Diouf, NYC born-and-bred rapper and producer le1f hit the ground running with the release of his first mixtape Dark York in 2012. His standout single, the 5kinandbone5-produced “Wut,” is packed full of quick quips and lively, bopping horns. With his background in dance and choreography, the music video for the single lives up to the hype as le1f revels around scantily clad male models sporting Pikachu masks. The rapper got into a small, but notable Twitter dispute the following year with artist Macklemore, whose hit single “Thrift Shop” bears a similar resemblance to “Wut.”
2013 proved to be a busy year for the producer, as he released his sophomore mixtape Fly Zone in January, signed to Terrible Records in February, dropped an EP in March, and followed up with another release, Tree House, in September. In April of the same year, he performed on the Late Show with David Letterman, becoming the first openly gay rapper to play a major late night show.
All in all, le1f is an eccentric yet grounded artist that’s certainly worth a listen. Check out the music video for “Wut,” bump “Spa Day” off the Hey EP, and ease your way into his style.
Catch him at the fest on Friday night at Kings Barcade.