A new chapter for the cult-favourite New York MC, equal parts soul and swagger

When she broke through in 2017 with her studio debut, Wash & Set, the New York rapper obscured her face behind a ski mask in videos and onstage, as she’d continue to do over the rest of her Beauty Series album trilogy (2018’s Acrylic and 2022’s Shape Up). But when she announced her fourth album with the video for lead single “450” in fall 2024, the once-mysterious Leikeli47 appeared unmasked for the first time, though rapping just as hard as ever: “Stay mad, I ain’t never letting up!”

Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only, her first independent release, marks a new chapter for the cult-favorite MC, who leaps from pulsing ballroom house (“soft serve”) to sleazy ’80s glam (“starlight”) to fantastical reggae (“sandhills”). It’s equal parts soul and swagger: On “queen”, Leikeli shouts out resilient women (“This one’s for the girls in the shelters/AKs and them Deltas/Cashiers at the Food Lion/All that matters is you tryin’/So keep it up, queen”), then peacocks over the stone-cold funk of “hnic”, ending her three-year hiatus with a warning: “The bitch is back!”