RAPPER Lex Lafoy is making a comeback with a hidden gem that listeners have been dying to hear.
Ashley Lex Lafoy (36) from Durban, KZN is a musician, writer, community development specialist, creative producer and radio/podcast host.
This multitalented woman is best known to her fan as Lex Lafoy - a rapper who mixes hip-hop with Afro-beats, traditional music, pop and dance music. She uses her Indian heritage, her KZN Zulu background and her street battle rap prowess to deliver a sound that is not just modern but also fresh.
She is in studio, putting the final touches to her new studio album titled Lexicon. She tells us that this upcoming project is a passion project that stems from her earlier life in 2012. Her upcoming project promises to get fans moving, shaking and inspired. She said this project is a personal journey, and it will signify a "full-circle" event in her life.
"This project was meant to signify my transition into the artist that I am now. But due to contractual issues with my previous record label I couldn't release the music," she said.
She started writing songs and poems at the age of five. Her mum and dad, who's a pastor, were very reluctant to let her pursue a music career as they were quite strict about her studies. It took a bit of convincing for them to let her chase her dreams.
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"I always knew that I would make music and be a performer. When I was kid I used to have stacks of notebooks of my songs and would burn them to test my gift, to see if I can write more. Every single time I would write even more."
She got her big break in the music industry in 2004 in her matric year, after she saw a flier at the Berea Centre in KZN. A Durban-based radio station was launching a hip-hop show for their Friday nights. Lex took the opportunity to rap on air, and that's where she was spotted by independent record label called Native Rhythms, which signed her. It was the same record label that represented both Zuluboy and Sizwe Dhlomo aka "Scatter Brain" at the time.
Listing some of her highlights in her career, she mentions that she was on tour with DJ Doowap to Germany for the Hlanganisa mixtape in 2014. She also worked with Ifani on the song Flex, and they toured together between 2014 -2015. Lex was nominated for the at the first SA Hip Hop Awards for best female and best mixtape in 2012.
"My recent highlight was working with Tshepang Ramoba in 2022, for the Post-Post Virtual Concert at Constitution Hill, for my latest album NewWorldDaughter. That was my favourite performance because it was the first time I played with a live band."
She was recently playlisted and interviewed live for a radio show called Naboth Rizila on Zanj Radio, which is based in Lysson, Jamaica for her song Welcome To Azania.
