Keith Ape

Background

Keith Ape is a South Korean rapper who rose to fame with his single, ‘It G Ma.’ He was born Dongheon Lee on December 25, 1993, in Seoul, South Korea. His Zodiac sign is Capricorn, and his ethnicity is Korean. Ape’s mother is a painter, while his father is a music professor. Ape dropped out of high school at 17 to pursue music as he found an outlet in hip-hop. He would go by the name ‘Kid Ash’ before rebranding himself to ‘Keith Ape,’ a name that includes his favorite artist Keith Haring. Ape began his early career by uploading music to YouTube, but he was not successful. In 2012, Ape met one of the Cohort rappers, Okasian, and since then, Ape’s music has taken a trajectory. He was featured on their debut album “Boarding Procedures.”

In 2015, Ape had a career breakthrough with the song ‘It G Ma,’ which was first not intended to be an international hit. The track exploded both in Korea and overseas, more to the Koreans in the U.S. Ape later did a remix of the song on his tour in the U.S. with the rappers A$AP Ferg, Dumbfounded, and Waka Flocka Flame. After the success of the song ‘It G Ma,’ Ape had many other hits like ‘Psycho,’ with Robb Bank, ‘Gospel,’ with Rich Brian, and ‘Diamond’ with Jedi P. He also has one Studio Album, “MOD: Ape’s Basics in Time and Play,” and two collaborative albums, “Project: Brainwash,” released in 2014, and “SMOKE UNDER THE WATER,” which was released in 2022.

Apart from singing, Ape is a model who has appeared for various brands, such as Calvin Kelvin. He has also faced a controversy where in 2015, he was accused of cultural appreciation by the American singer O.G. Maco. He accused Ape and his friends of having black stereotypes to sell the hit song ‘It G Ma.’ Ape has had one relationship in the past and is currently single. We can hope for the bright future of this rapper, with a vision of success.