Eoin Hennessy | Music Editor
https://soundcloud.com/le1f/sets/hey-ep
Le1f’s word-play is as on point as ever as he weaves in and out of parody and sincerity
New Yorker Le1f has been on our radar for quite some time now. Khalif Diouf, as his mother knows him, released his debut mixtape entitled Dark York in 2012 to great critical response. Dubbed as alternative hip hop, the mixtape saw Le1f combine his unique lyricism with some fairly obscure beats constructed by the likes of Nguzunguzu and 5kinandbone5. What followed was a collaborative EP with American producer Boody and two more mixtapes in 2013 entitled Fly Zone and Tree House. Thanks to this large body of work, he was soon picked up by a label. Two labels in fact. Both Terrible Records and XL Records made a joint venture deal for Le1f to release his debut album. First, however, we have the arrival of the Hey EP. A five track extended player comprised of songs both old and new.
references to actual sexual activity only occur as often as in tracks by heterosexual rappers
The Hey EP may come as a surprise to most Le1f fans as it contains one of the most successful songs off his debut mixtape. “Wut”, the lead single off Dark York back in 2012, was a super infectious dance floor killer full of hand claps and repetitive horns. Even the video to the song reached pretty mainstream success and has had two million views since it was uploaded in July of 2012. Strange then that they should include it on his most recent EP. Nevertheless, the Hey EP still contains four other original tracks, all demonstrating Le1f’s diversity.
Le1f tries to combat the fact that he is viewed as a gay man rather than an African-American man
The EP begins with “Hey”, a beat based on early West Coast hip hop influences and modern grime. Le1f’s word-play is as on point as ever as he weaves in and out of parody and sincerity. As always, gay life is a big theme in Le1f’s lyrics. However, references to actual sexual activity only occur as often as in tracks by heterosexual rappers. Instead, Le1f tries to combat the fact that he is viewed as a gay man rather than an African-American man. In one of the lines of “Hey”, Le1f declares “Ask a gay question/Here’s a black answer”. These lyrics along with the song’s beat would be perfect if it were not for the short periods of pitched down vocals throughout, a one trick pony that too many MCs are using recently.
there is something quite enjoyable about hearing lyrics about homosexuality in a genre that is always viewed as quite homophobic
The next track “Sup” sees Le1f try his hand at mainstream American Rap such as Wocka Flocka Flame or Chief Keef. The heavy Trap beat and auto-tuned vocals make the track horribly unoriginal. However, there is something quite enjoyable about hearing lyrics about homosexuality in a genre that is always viewed as quite homophobic. The two final songs on the album “Boom” and “Buzz” make desperate attempts to mimic the success of “Wut”. Although neither “Boom” nor “Buzz” is quite up to the standard of “Wut”, they are very infectious and would definitely go down a storm live. Ultimately though, they just sound like hype tracks. In fact, most of the EP just sounds like hype. Hopefully Le1f’s debut album on Terrible/XL will be better than the EP, but for the time being we must abide by the immortal words of Flavor Flav:“Don’t believe the hype”.
