After closing out her “beauty” trilogy in 2022 with her third LP Shape Up, Leikeli47 returns today to begin a new chapter with the single “450.” And while, yes, it serves as the first track from her newly announced fourth LP Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only (and, yes, that second part is part of the title and not a lazy copy-paste job on our part), the masked rapper is also going full Spider-Man 2/any episode of Scooby-Doo in the song’s music video with a face reveal. It feels like that brief moment in summer 2021 when we flew the “mission accomplished” banner for COVID a little early and we finally saw the faces of our grocery store clerks for the first time.
Despite it marking a pivotal moment in Leikeli’s career, the song itself is fairly modest—the emcee’s cool bars glide over a minimalist beat, while Masood Ahmed’s music video for the track matches that stripped-back sheen with stark black and white. “‘450’ is my declaration of commitment to the people and this art form,” the rapper shared in a press release. “I don’t just love what I do, I’m in love with what I do; and there’s no stopping me. I’m just heating up.”
There’s no release date for Lei Keli ft. 47 yet, though we do know that the 11-track affair marks the artist’s first independent release following a stint with RCA. Check out the video for the lead single below.
