Leslie Jonathan Mampe Jr., (born 26 July 1985), better known by his stage name Da L.E.S, is a South African-American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

recording artist and record producer. He achieved early success with his band, Jozi, and is most known for his solo single, "Heaven", which was released in 2013, and features AKA, and Maggz.

Early life and music career

Mampe was born in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, to South African parents, Leslie Jonathan Mampe, an IT specialist who worked at

IBM International Business Machines Corporation (using the trademark IBM), nicknamed Big Blue, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, and present in over 175 countries. It is ...

, and his wife, Priscilla. Mampe, Sr. was a collector of music LPs and was known for hosting parties. It is through this that Mampe discovered his musical talents at a young age, while living in the United States with his parents. Da L.E.S. ushered in a new fun era of rap characterized by his cool kid demeanor and college swag aesthetic. It stuck and quickly became the new flavor of the streets. Les was also largely responsible for the continental success of the Ama Kip Kip brand, which he helped popularize by always flaunting them in his music videos. Most South Africans during that period wore AKK and danced to ''Muthaland Crunk.'' According t
creative-hiphop
Da Les is the only African rapper whose influence covered all three major facets of hip hop – music, clothing and lifestyle. Creative-HipHop's editor in chief, Paperman named him the most influential African Rapper of all time. In 2014, Mampe starred in a South African television series, ''The Real Jozi A-Listers'', as a lead character alongside South African television and media personality

Maps Maponyane Masego "Maps" Maponyane (born 16 March 1990) is a South African television presenter, actor, fashion designer, speaker, model, creative consultant, voice over artist, philanthropist and business entrepreneur. Career While taking a year off h ...

, both playing fictionalized versions of themselves.

Personal life

Mampe welcomed the birth of his daughter, whose godfather was South African hip hop recording artist and good friend AKA. Da L.E.S is the godfather to AKA's daughter.

Discography

Studio albums

313 , * Released: 1 December 2023 * Label: Fresh 2 Def

Singles

Videography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:L.E.S, Da 1985 births Living people Musicians from Washington, D.C. Rappers from Houston Musicians from Johannesburg South African rappers African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American musicians English-language singers from South Africa