Keith Ape
Named after his favorite artist, Keith Haring, and his chosen spirit animal, Keith Ape brought Seoul to the trap house on his breakout 2015 hit, "It G Ma." With his bleached disheveled locks and punk-meets-Bathing-Ape aesthetic, he crafted a hallucinogenic image similar to American contemporaries like Lil Uzi Vert and Flatbush Zombies. His debut EP, Born Again, arrived in 2018.
Born Dongheon Lee in Bundang, South Korea, the rapper was a self-proclaimed problem child who found an outlet in hip-hop, following idols Nas and AZ. He dropped out of high school to pursue music, first adopting the moniker Kid Ash for his 2010 debut. The music he uploaded to the Internet caught the attention of the Cohort crew, who welcomed Keith in 2012. He was featured on Cohort crewmate Okasian's debut, Boarding Procedures, and developed his own buzz with a dub of a Bobby Shmurda track, which he rechristened "Hot Ninja."
It wasn't until the OG Maco-influenced "It G Ma" arrived on New Year's Day in 2015 that Keith's trajectory would drastically shift. Originally a joint Korean-Japanese collaboration with rappers Kohh, Loota, JayAllDay, and Okasian, the menacing trap track exploded both in Korea and overseas, especially with Koreans in the United States. Keith signed with 88Rising, riding the success of the single and performing at SXSW and in Los Angeles and New York City. A remix of "It G Ma" -- which translates to "Never Forget" -- featured A$AP Ferg, Father, Dumbfoundead, and Waka Flocka Flame.
Keith followed the viral success of "It G Ma" with the horror show production "Psycho" (featuring Robb Bank$) and "Diamonds" (featuring Jedi P). "Gospel," a collaborative track with Rich Brian and XXXTENTACION, was released in 2017, followed a few months later by "Achoo," featuring Ski Mask the Slump God. The following year he joined his 88Rising cohort on Head in the Clouds, a crew compilation that featured his contribution "Japan 88." Later in 2018 he issued his debut EP, Born Again, which included the single "Ninja Turtle" with Wifisfuneral.
© Neil Z. Yeung /TiVo
Discography
18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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IT G MA Remix (josh pan Opus) [feat. A$AP Ferg, Father, Dumbfoundead, Waka Flocka Flame with Anderson .Paak]
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by OWSLA on Feb 12, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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BORN AGAIN
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 88rising Music - EMPIRE on Oct 12, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gospel
Rich Brian, Keith Ape, Xxxtentacion
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 88rising Music on May 12, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Achoo
Keith Ape, Ski Mask The Slump God
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 88rising Music on Oct 2, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ape Into Space
K-Pop - Released by UnderWater, talented on Nov 8, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Diamonds (feat. Jedi P) - Single
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by CXSHXNLY - Keith Ape on Aug 11, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ninja Turtle (feat. Wifisfuneral)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 88rising Music - EMPIRE on Sep 6, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Wrist Clearer Than Water!
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 88rising Music - EMPIRE on Oct 9, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Achoo
Keith Ape, Ski Mask The Slump God
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 88rising Music on Oct 2, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
MOD: Ape's Basics in Time and Play
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by underwater on Sep 20, 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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BORN AGAIN
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 88rising Music - EMPIRE on Oct 12, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Diamonds (feat. Jedi P)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by CXSHXNLY - Keith Ape on Aug 11, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Psycho (feat. Robb Bank$) - Single
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by CXSHXNLY - Keith Ape on Oct 15, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
LET'S PLAY! YOU! MAKE ME SAD!!!
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by underwater on Apr 1, 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Itchy
Parlay Pass, Keith Ape, Jugg Nino
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Outlet on May 2, 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
My Wrist Clearer Than Water!
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 88rising Music - EMPIRE on Oct 9, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo