In the early ‘90s, the riot grrrl movement gave voice to women that felt sidelined, oppressed and ignored within the realm of punk rock, and allowed them to express concern about broader, social issues.
Two decades on, Khalif Diouf – better known as Le1f – has referenced the movement by calling his debut album 'Riot Boi'. There are several ways to interpret this ostensible co-opting of the feminist movement by gender-flipping it and using it for his album title – a primary one being a reflection on the visibility of LGBT people in the spectrum of hip hop.
Diouf, however, assures there’s a more clear-cut reasoning behind the title. “I think it's more a commentary on how little things have truly changed in the past 20 years more than anything,” he says. “Some of the key things I talk about on this album I feel have been following me around for so long – there are songs on this album that are over a year old, and they're just as topical now as they were when I was writing them.
“This isn't a good thing by any stretch of the imagination – people are still dying for really unfair reasons. As long as there are these phobias and this discrimination prevalent in our society, people can relate to the music that reflects on that. It's as true then as it is now, regardless of who is making it and what kind of music it is.”
'Riot Boi' is an assured, resonant debut-album filled with bold production and versatility in both flow and stylistic approach. Diouf refuses to let a single, dull moment rear its head, fearlessly addressing matters such as authoritative violence, queer rights and the continuing oppression of people of colour.
According to Diouf, a lot of what made it onto 'Riot Boi' has been a long time coming. “These were issues that I felt were important enough to make songs about,” he says.
“A lot of them just felt timely, because a lot of these issues are still prevalent. There's still a lot of tension about police brutality and trans issues. These are things that I've always wanted to engage with using my music – there's a song on the record called 'Taxi', which I've been wanting to explore thematically for a really long time.
“Before I'd even made [the 2012 mixtape] 'Dark York', I had this list of ideas. A lot of the political ones on the list I just didn't do at the time. I felt like I didn't know how to properly express what was on my mind. I didn't know how to talk about it. I think this album became very therapeutic for me – I felt like I was finally able to make sense of what I was doing.”
Several guests make themselves known across the track listing of 'Riot Boi', including long-time collaborator Junglepussy and PC Music frontrunner Sophie. Perhaps the album’s most notable guest, however, is Dev Hynes – the producer, singer and multi-instrumentalist behind projects such as Blood Orange and Lightspeed Champion (as well as a songwriter for the likes of Solange, Carly Rae Jepsen and Sky Ferreira).
Hynes produced and is featured on 'Riot Boi’s closing track, 'Change', and his work left a strong impression in Diouf. “Dev is absolutely amazing,” he says. “He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. For someone who's so prolific, and almost a pop star in his own right, he’s such a good friend to musicians and people in his community.
“I didn't even really know him that well when he sent me the beat for 'Change', but I remember it had him doing what was basically a scat track over the top of it. He's such a wealth of ideas and the more I worked with him and explored what was possible, the more I came to count him as a friend.”
Hynes also served as bandleader and bassist when Le1f made his network television debut in 2014 performing breakthrough single 'Wut' live on 'The Late Show With David Letterman'. “His arrangement was genius,” says Diouf. “He was the mastermind behind the entire thing.”
Diouf will return to Australia as part of the 2016 instalment of boutique Melbourne festival Sugar Mountain. Along with the festival, he’ll play a run of east-coast shows. “Oh my god, I can't wait. I miss it so much. Some of my best shows have been in Sydney and Melbourne, so I'm very ready to come back and party with you guys. It's been far too long.”
Le1f Tour Dates
Thu 21 Jan - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)Fri 22 Jan - The TBC Club (Brisbane)
Sat 23 Jan - Sugar Mountain Festival (Melbourne)
Sun 24 Jan - Jack Rabbit Slim's (Perth)
