Born Again Album9604419 Artist Keith Ape
South Street Seaport's Pier 17 features The Rooftop stage, a outdoor space ready 4 stories high that offers skyline views of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge as a backdrop. It's here in October that Keith Ape is performing for 88Rising's 88 Degrees & Rising Tour in support of the label's first group anthology,Head in the Clouds,which was released in July. Ape, who is wearing A Bathing Ape tee, black pants and neon slides, is delivering a spirited version of "Nippon 88." It's his just contribution to Head in the Clouds, remixing Famous Dex'due south "Nihon" with Verbal of Teriyaki Boyz fame.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
Run across latest videos, charts and news
His twenty-infinitesimal set is quick and to the point. Ape's setlist includes "Ninja Turtle," a druggy flex anthem, and an exclusive debut of "The Ice Ape," which is all about Ape's obsession with diamonds and expensive jewelry. He concludes his portion of the show with "IT G Ma," the breakout single that helped him crossover in America iii years ago. Yet, fifty-fifty in 2018, the crowd is set to mosh pit and get insane upon hearing the kickoff seconds of Ape screaming "Information technology G Ma! Underwater Squad!"
Ape brings out Japanese rapper Kohh to perform his contribution, and the energy just goes up a notch. The vocal performance of Ape and Kohh building from their verses to screams on the song's hook is yet a spectacle to witness live — a ton of twenty somethings, more often than not Asian teens from different ethnic groups, rapping their lyrics loud.
Born Dongheon Lee in Seoul, South Korea, the 24-yr-old rapper — who took his stage name from late graphic creative person Keith Haring — didn't equate the magnitude of "It Chiliad Ma" as a sign of success. "Of course at start, I thought I made it," Ape tells Billboard in July. He's relaxing on a couch at his Airbnb in the Eastward Village dressed downward to a Billionaire Boys Guild t-shirt and red Polo pants. Next to him is Oscar Lee, who is his day-to-day manager. "Nosotros've been out here for a couple of years, and I've ran into issues – not serious – but everyday problems. After going through that, I realized I have a long mode to go."
Those "everyday problems" he speaks of were typical things strange artists often go through when they're focused on building their fanbases in America. "To simply put it, living in America equally a non-American," he says. Ape'southward first language is Korean, and then he's been learning to speak English language fluently with the aid of a translator. "Non growing upwardly here, not from hither, but trying to live hither, trying to work here, and trying to brand information technology in America," he says, adding that he focuses on the American market because "[Hip-hop] started from America and Americans made it. Hip-hop is American music."
Back in 2015, Ape's "IT Yard Ma," recorded with JayAllday, Loota, Okasian, and Kohh, became a viral striking, positioning him as the creator of an Asian trap wave taking over hip-hop globally. Dubbed as "the Korean OG Maco" at first, he began to tear down every live prove he had in America, irresolute the perception of that comparison to a gifted rapper who leads Republic of korea's burgeoning rap scene. Ape was rowdy and a conductor of commotion, and his sound was resonating in the States, getting another push when Dumbfoundead, ASAP Ferg, Father, and Waka Flocka Flame appeared on the "It G Ma (Remix)." The video premiered on Complex in July 2015, where the publication wrote, "You are almost to bear witness to a groundbreaking moment in convergence civilization."
In subsequent years afterward "IT G Ma" picked up steam, Ape kept a low contour. He moved to Los Angeles and started to work more closely with 88Rising's founder Sean Miyashiro, who began to manage him. He prepared to brand his return to rap by releasing loosies on the internet, and in particular, linking with Ski Mask the Slump God for a scattering of gems ("Dr. Eggman," "Going Down Underwater," "Achoo!"). Some other ane of his collabs that drew excitement was "Gospel" with Rich Brian and XXXTentacion, which dropped in May of last year.
Originally slated to be Rich Brian'south song, Ape thought it would exist a good opportunity to create a moment with his 88Rising labelmate. He worked on the song earlier X's death, finishing his part sometime in 2016. "I wished I was able to see him in person. We never got a risk to meet face-to-face," he says of X. "I accept a memory of working really hard on the song. And that vocal, put me dorsum on, so it is very meaningful to me."
In the lead up to Born Once more, which released on Oct. 12, Ape scrubbed his Twitter and Instagram pages. "This was a reboot of my image. I wanted to restart," he says. "Until I release my project, I'll be putting one photo at a time [on Instagram]. The photos aren't of me. They are of others things. A fresh new commencement."
Earlier Ape revealed the artwork for "Ninja Turtle," which displayed piles of U.S. dollars and Korean won with recreational drugs, and announced his first single from the EP was dropping on Sept. half dozen, he kept a photo of a crowbar on his IG page. The image was reminiscent of One-half-Life, and the explanation read: "Crowbar Black Mesa Inquiry Facility PC Game STL 3D-model 3D-print Merely Digital Prop Cosplay."
"As far as the caption and the photo goes, I thought it would work well together. Information technology merely looked dope. The photo itself is role of my break time. It was my journey of putting myself back together as who I really am," he says. "I grew upwardly playing Half-Life a lot. And the crowbar is the basic detail of it. It's virtually like a new beginning 'cause you lot offset with the crowbar."
Born AGAIN is just that — a rebirth. With his new cocky comes a re-introduction of Keith as a curator of what he deems absurd. BORN Once more's artwork is drawn by manga artist Santa Inoue, known for his Tokyo Tribes series and his iconic SARU tee. For producers on the EP, he worked with Philadelphia-based commonage Working on Dying, whose credits include Matt Ox's "Overwhelming" and upcoming Lil Uzi Vert songs. For invitee features, he collaborated with Wifisfuneral, Primary Keef, and Yung Bans on "Ninja Turtle," "The Water ice Ape," and "The Opium War."
Built-in Once more ends on "Symphony No. 1993: Escape from Planet of the Apes." Keith Ape is then dedicated to the influence of Nigo, the creator of BAPE, that he paid homage to "Symphony No. 25910 – Escape From Planet of the Apes" off Nigo's Ape Sounds album from 2000.
"Escaping is like… planet is a very conceptual matter, [I'm] non talking about a physical planet," he says of the song title. "Do you know how people will always say, 'Out of this world?' The planet could also symbolize my past, so it is moving out of my by and starting my new self."
Information technology's all part of Keith Ape'south mission to make his U.S. comeback impactful, shutting down whatever talk of him being a one-hitting wonder. The overarching theme of Built-in AGAIN proves he'southward on his way to condign an influential multi-hypenate for the younger generation, following in the footsteps of other cultural disruptors like Pharrell Williams and Kanye West. Ape as well has a special place in his middle for XXXTentacion and his music, particularly after the "Sad!" rapper has garnered comparisons to 2Pac later on he was shot and killed in Florida in June.
"I retrieve there are a number of artists that have expanded the spectrum of hip-hop as a music. After Kanye, Pharrell, and Kid Cudi, in like [the] younger generation, I think X is one of the few that I felt that way almost the artist," he says. "I'thou not comparison anybody to anybody, but he is one of the artists that gave me that feeling. He's the artist that had the potential to be one of the greatest, particularly these days."
On the Pier 17 stage, the entire 88rising line-up — Don Krez, Kohh, Baronial 08, Niki, Higher Brothers, Rich Brian, and Joji — return to finish out the night with a medley. It'south past 9 p.thousand., but the fans are all the same rocking for these bursts of performances. After their posse cut, "Midsummer Madness," and Higher Brothers' energetic "WeChat," the DJ cues up "Gospel." Rich Brian throws an Ten upwards during XXXTentacion's cluttered verse as a show of respect. Keith Ape finally re-emerges from backstage, equally the final 88Rising member to invigorate the audience i terminal time.
Source: https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/keith-ape-interview-born-again-8480235/