Young Lion Records recording artiste Lakisha “Lady Keyz” Bowen is the American-Jamaican bombshell at the forefront of a new movement that has been experimenting with the blending of rap and dancehall, and the resulting fusion is an exciting new sound.
Lady Keyz’ combination, Shut It Down, which features the duo Voicemail, has been getting a lot of love from FM radio in recent weeks.
Born in the “Windy City” of Chicago, IL, and raised in Miami, FL, she has transformed her childhood love for dance and acting into a mainstream career as an entertainer.
While growing up in Miami, FL, her extreme passion for dancing evolved, and with constant practice and the addition of innovative new moves from the club scene, she became a dancer for dancehall artistes performing on the kinetic nightclub scene in Miami. Soon however, she fell in love with hip hop and began to study lyrics from the late great Tupac Shakur who inspired her to do her own thing .
In 1997 she joined a group all female-group called, “Hot Grits,” with members Jan-Ice, Goldie, and Peaches. At first, she was skeptical about being part of a group, but to her surprise it turned out to be one of the best life learning experiences that she could’ve imagine.
Shortly after the “Hot Grits” merged together they begin touring the State of Florida, courtesy of the #1 Miami radio station, 99 Jams (WEDR 99.1). They performed together for three successful years gracing the stages of prominent events and venues such as, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade, and The Club House which featured at the time up-coming artists Rick Ross and Pretty Ricky, just to mention a few. The “Hot Grits” came to a happy ending when the group decided to part ways in 2003, after opening up for Rapper Trina during her concert at Club Strawberry’s.
Lady Keyz continued to finetune her talent, recording at various popular Miami recording studios amongst some of Miami’s top producers. After taking a brief hiatus to handle her personal life, she discovered the true essence of the reggae culture.
“The beats are a breath of fresh air and they are a perfect thread to tie together my new-found rhythm,” she said.
In 2007 she moved to the Big Apple, New York City, to better her career and started working with her now label mate/ in-house producer, Showtime/ So Easy. Their chemistry was electric ‘ and Showtime was able to bring sounds out of LK that she had not previously discovered. A few years after, she hooked up with her manager Andrew Thompson who was so impressed by Lady Keyz that he began attending some of her performances and open-mics around the city.
In 2011 she signed to Young Lion Records and her game was elevated to a new level in terms of her sound, access to trunk-rattling beats, and her sleek delivery. With her eyecatching style, LK is in a league of her own. After several major performances such as the 2011 Rhythm & Blues Fest in NYC and a personal request from Mount Vernon’s Mayor, Ernest Davis, to perform at a private event, things are taking off to new heights for Lady Keyz.
She recently performed on the 2012 Best of the Best concert in Miami. With the support of her team, Lady Keyz is initiating moves that makes the competition nervous.
You can bet your house that she is going to shut the game down, and shut her haters up.
