His current moniker comes from a mixture of Keith Haring, his favorite artist, and A Bathing Ape, his favorite clothing brand. Before crossing the Pacific to pursue his career in the USA following the success of his viral hit, “It G Ma”, Keith Ape rapped under the name Kid Ash under Hi-Lite Records in South Korea, the country of his birth. Many of his lyrics are rapped in Korean, his mother tongue, but he integrates more English than is typical for Korean rappers.