Lei Keli ft. 47 / For Promotional Use Only

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!”