Aleksey Weintraub (born July 15, 1985), better known by his stage name Lakutis, is an American rapper from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He has collaborated with

Das Racist Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconv ...

, Hot Sugar, and Kitty. He has also toured with

Le1f Khalif Libasse Diouf, known by the stage name Kalifa (born April 6, 1989), formerly known by the stage name Le1f (), is an American rapper and producer. Diouf also founded the record label Camp & Street, with Boody, DonChristian, and Chaz Requi ...

and Antwon.

Early life

Lakutis was born Aleksey Weintraub to Russian parents. He is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. At the age of 5, he moved from

Queens Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

with his mother. He worked at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone restaurant.

Career

In 2011, Lakutis released a 7-track EP, ''I'm in the Forest''. In 2012, he released "Hey Ma, Wassup", a collaborative single with

Big Baby Gandhi Nafis, known by his stage name Big Baby Gandhi, is a Bangladesh-born American rapper from Queens, New York. His first mixtape, ''Big Fucking Baby'', was released in 2011 to highly positive reception from music critics. As a result of the attentio ...

, Cutty Carmichael, and DVS. ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' included him on the "5 Best New Artists for May 2013" list. In 2014, Lakutis released a 12-track mixtape, '' Three Seashells''. It included productions from Hot Sugar, Black Noise, and Steel Tipped Dove, as well as a guest appearance from DVS. ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' named it the "Mixtape of the Week".

Style and influences

Zach Kelly of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' commented that "Lakutis' real strong suit is the way he raps, punctuating words with a visceral intensity, usually reserved for the frontman of a hardcore band, his flow almost functioning as a percussive element."

Discography

Mixtapes

* '' Three Seashells'' (2014)

EPs

* ''I'm in the Forest'' (2011)

Singles

* "Hey Ma, Wassup" (2012) * "Motorcycle" (2017)

Guest appearances

- "Amazing", "Rapping 2 U", and "Irresponsible" from '' Sit Down, Man'' (2010) * Tecla - "No Music" and "Drugs" from ''Thanksgiving'' (2011) *

Heems Himanshu Kumar Suri (born July 6, 1985), better known by his stage name Heems, is an American rapper. Suri came to prominence as a member of the alternative hip hop group Das Racist, with whom he released two mixtapes and one album. Suri has ...

- "Yo What's Good New York" from '' Nehru Jackets'' (2012) * Toothpaste - "Daytona 900" from ''1996'' (2012) *

Meyhem Lauren James Rencher (born May 14, 1983), known professionally as Meyhem Lauren, is an American rapper from Queens, New York. He is a founding member of the Smart Crew collective. He has collaborated with the likes of DJ Muggs, The Alchemist, and Har ...

- "Carvel" from ''Mandatory Brunch Meetings'' (2012) * Mishka & Rad Reef - "Hyperbolic Chamber Music" (2012) * Heems - "Death Is Not an Option" from '' Wild Water Kingdom'' (2012) * Children of the Night - "Ellis (12:06 AM)" from ''Queens... Revisited'' (2012) * Pepperboy - "Soap on tha Block" from ''Nitetime'' (2012) * Hot Sugar - "Leverage" from ''Midi Murder'' (2012) * Kool A.D. - "Finito Posse Jawn" and "Rap Genius" from '' 63'' (2013) * Kitty - "Ay Shawty 3.0" from '' D.A.I.S.Y. Rage'' (2013) * Hot Sugar - "Mama, I'm a Man" and "56k" from ''Made Man'' (2013) * Antwon - "KLF ELF" from '' Heavy Hearted in Doldrums'' (2014) * Kool A.D. - "Tight" from '' Word O.K.'' (2014) * DVS - "Sons of Xanarchy" from ''DVTV'' (2015) *

Wiki A wiki ( ) is a form of hypertext publication on the internet which is collaboratively edited and managed by its audience directly through a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the public or l ...

- "Nutcrackers" from '' No Mountains in Manhattan'' (2017) * Sicksentz - "Death Adders" (2018)

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1985 births Living people American people of Russian-Jewish descent Rappers from Manhattan Rappers from Queens, New York 21st-century American rappers