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 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.[1]
Da L.E.S | |
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| Birth name | Leslie Jonathan Mampe Jr. |
| Also known as |
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| Born | 26 July 1985 Washington, D.C., United States |
| Origin | South Africa |
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| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels |
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Early life and music career
Mampe was born in Washington D.C., United States, to South African parents, Leslie Jonathan Mampe, an IT specialist who worked at IBM, and his wife, Priscilla.[2] 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.[3]
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 to 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, both playing fictionalized versions of themselves.[4]
Personal life
Mampe welcomed the birth of his daughter, whose godfather was South African hip hop recording artist and good friend AKA.[5] Da L.E.S is the godfather to AKA's daughter.
Discography
Studio albums
| Album title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Fresh 2 Def |
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| Mandela Money[6] |
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| North God[7] |
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| Diamond in Africa |
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| F2D Presents: Hall of Fame |
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| High Level |
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| Caution To The Wild | • Released: 27 November 2020 • Label: Fresh 2 Def • Formats: CD, digital download and streaming |
Singles
| Year | Title | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Tippy Toes" | Fresh 2 Def | |
| "We on Fire" (featuring Bongz and Maggz) | |||
| 2013 | "Heaven" (featuring AKA and Maggz) | Mandela Money | |
| "Fire" | |||
| 2014 | Dice | ||
| 2015 | "P.A.I.D" | North God | |
| "Bank Roll" (DJ Milkshake featuring Da L.E.S and Kid X) | |||
| "Summer Time" (featuring Riky Rick) | |||
| 2016 | "6 AM" (featuring Ma-E and Moozlie) | ||
| "Real Stuff" (featuring AKA and Maggz) | |||
| "Up to Something"[8] | Diamond in Africa | ||
| "Lifestyle" (featuring Gemini Major) | |||
| 2017 | "Popular Demand" | High Level |
| Year | Title | Certifications | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Hape Le Hape, Part 2" (Khuli Chana featuring Da L.E.S and Magesh) | Lost in Time | |
| "Bunny Jump" (Awgust Rush featuring Ferdy Ferd and Da L.E.S) | |||
| "Kontrol" (AKA featuring Da L.E.S) | Levels | ||
| 2014 | "All Eyes on Me" | RiSA: Platinum | |
| "Poppin'" (Pascal & Pearce featuring Da L.E.S) | |||
| "Bad Chick" (DJ Speedsta featuring Da L.E.S and Dotcom) | |||
| "Light a Lighter" (Cara featuring Da L.E.S) | |||
| 2015 | "Shake" (Olivia Cloud featuring Da L.E.S) | ||
| "Bank Roll" (DJ Milkshake featuring Da L.E.S and Kid X) | North God | ||
| "Summer Love" (YBK featuring Da L.E.S, Burna Boy & Gemini Major) | |||
| "Birthday" | |||
| 2016 | "Savage" (DJ Milkshake featuring Da L.E.S, Maggz and Nadia Nakai) | ||
| "One For The Team" (DJ Double D featuring Da L.E.S, Yanga and Gemini Major) | F2D Presents: Hall of Fame | ||
| 2017 | "Who Shot Ya" (Yanga featuring Da L.E.S) | ||
| "4Ways" (DJ Switch featuring Da L.E.S and Yanga) |
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "So Fresh" (Danny K featuring Da L.E.S) | 2013 | Good Look |
| "In My City" | All of Me | |
| "Addicted" (Yung6ix featuring Da L.E.S) | 2015 | 6ix O'Clock |
| "Too Many Girls" (DJ Speedsta featuring Da L.E.S and Dotcom) | 2015 | |
| "Oceans" (DJ Sliqe featuring Da L.E.S and Shane Eagle) | 2016 | Injayam, Vol. 1 |
| "Freakend" (Stogie T featuring Da L.E.S) | Stogie T |
Videography
| Year | Artist | Title | Album | Director | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Da L.E.S | Tippy Toes | Fresh 2 Def | ||
| We On Fire (featuring Bongani Fassie and Maggz) | |||||
| 2013 | AKA | Kontrol | Levels | ||
| Da L.E.S | Heaven (featuring AKA and Maggz) | Mandela Money | |||
| 2014 | Fire | ||||
| Dice | |||||
| Khuli Chana | Hape Le Hape 2.1 (featuring Da L.E.S and Magesh) | Lost in Time | |||
| AKA (rapper) | All Eyes on Me (AKA song) (featuring Burna Boy, JR and Da L.E.S) | Levels | Young Legend Films | ||
| DJ Speedsta | Bad Chick (featuring DotCom and Da L.E.S) | Non-album single | Studio Space Pictures | ||
| 2015 | Da L.E.S | P.A.I.D (featuring AKA and Burna Boy) | North God | Sesan | [9] |
| Summer Time (featuring Riky Rick) | |||||
| YBK | Summer Love (featuring Burna Boy, Gemini Major and Da L.E.S) | Non-album single | |||
| 2016 | Da L.E.S | 6 A.M. (featuring Ma-E and Moozlie) | North God | ||
| Real Stuff (featuring AKA and Maggz) | |||||
| Up to Something | Diamond in Africa | YeahLenzo |