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Lexii Alijai

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Lexii Alijai
Background information
Birth nameAlexis Alijai Lynch
Born(1998-02-19)February 19, 1998
Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJanuary 1, 2020(2020-01-01) (aged 21)
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
InstrumentVocals
Years active2013–2020
Websitelexiialijai.com

Alexis Alijai Lynch (February 19, 1998 – January 1, 2020), better known by her stage name Lexii Alijai, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Alijai was part of the Twin Cities hip hop scene. She released Growing Pains—her only full-length, studio album—in 2017. Alijai was a rising star in the local music scene when she died in Minneapolis in 2020.[1]

Early life and education

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Lexii Alijai was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[2] She was the granddaughter of musician Roger Troutman, founder of funk band Zapp.[3] Her father, Roger Lynch, the son of Roger Troutman, was also a musician.[4] She attended Como Park Senior High School[2] in Saint Paul, following an interest in basketball,[5] but then focused on music instead and transferred to Creative Arts Secondary School,[2] before then enrolling in an online school.[6] Alijai ultimately dropped out to pursue a full-time music career and began rapping over the beats of popular songs by artists such as Dej Loaf, 2Pac and Drake.[4]

Career

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Alijai released her first mixtape, Super Sweet 16s, in 2014 on her sixteenth birthday.[4] She then collaborated with Rocky Diamonds on an extended play, titled 3 Days. A second mixtape, In the Meantime, was released a few months later, then her third, Feel∙Less, in October that same year.[7]

In 2015, she and rapper Shaun Sloan collaborated on a mixtape titled Same Struggle. Different Story.[8][9] Alijai became close friends with Kehlani the summer before the release of Kehlani's debut commercial mixtape, You Should Be Here (2015), which peaked at No. 36 on the Billboard 200.[10] Her appearance on the track "Jealous" granted Alijai media attention due to her lyricism and flow presented on the track.[11] Her next full-length project, Joseph's Coat, was released late 2015 and featured contributions from Elle Varner.[12]

In 2016, she performed at Soundset Music Festival[13][14] and had opened up for Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, and Rich the Kid.[15] She released a remix of "Exchange" by Bryson Tiller and "Cold Hearted" by Meek Mill along with a music video for her remix of "Cold Hearted".[16] In 2017, she released a remix of "Redbone" by Childish Gambino and "Me, Myself and I" by Beyoncé.[17]

On September 8, 2017, Alijai released her first full-length debut studio album, Growing Pains, in which she covered topics such as dropping out of school and maintaining a relationship with her ex-boyfriend's mother.[17]

Death

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Alijai shortly before her death.

Alijai died at the Loews Minneapolis Hotel on January 1, 2020, at the age of 21. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner ruled that the manner of death was an accidental drug overdose.[18][19] A toxicology report revealed the cause as mixed toxicity from fentanyl and ethanol.[19]

Discography

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Studio albums

  • Growing Pains (2017)

Mixtapes

  • Super Sweet 16s (2014)[20]
  • In the Meantime (2014)[20]
  • Feel∙Less (2014)[20]
  • Joseph's Coat (2015)[18]

Guest appearances

EP'S

  • Come Back Soon (2021)

References

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  1. ^ "Autopsy: St. Paul rapper Lexii Alijai died of accidental overdose". Minnesota Public Radio. January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Melo, Frederick (January 2, 2020). "Lexii Alijai, a rapper from St. Paul, reportedly dies at age 21". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  3. ^ Carl, Lamarre (January 3, 2020). "Rapper Lexii Alijai Dead at 21". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Sacks, Brianna (January 2, 2020). "The Hip-Hop Community Is Stunned After A Young Rapper Died Suddenly On New Year's Day". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  5. ^ "EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Get to know Minnesota's very own Female Rapper "Lexii Alijai"". Everything With Yin. 2014-10-24. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  6. ^ "Interview With Lexii Alijai". Powerhouse Youth Division. Retrieved May 31, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  7. ^ "EP: LEXII ALIJAI – FEEL-LESS". You Heard That New. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  8. ^ "(New Mixtape) @LexiiAlijai and @RealShaunSloan "S.S.D.S."". Zacy Morris. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  9. ^ "Mixtape: Same Struggle. Different Story By Shaun Sloan And Lexii Alijai". Beknown Posts. Archived from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  10. ^ "Kehlani chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  11. ^ Nostro, Lauren (April 9, 2015). "Premiere: Kehlani Teams Up With Lexii Alijai for "Jealous" (Prod. by Jahaan Sweet)". Complex. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  12. ^ "LEXII ALIJAI DROPS JOSEPH'S COAT EP". Hype Fresh Mag. Retrieved May 31, 2017.[permanent dead link‍]
  13. ^ "5 fresh spins on Soundset as hip-hop fest heads to Minnesota Fairgrounds". Star Tribune. 28 May 2016. Archived from the original on September 27, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  14. ^ "Soundset 2016's get-to-know guide: Anderson .Paak, Post Malone, Lexii Alijai, more". Star Tribune. 26 May 2016. Archived from the original on October 2, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  15. ^ "C4- M R$CH- Lexii Alijai- Allan Kingdom- LIL UZI VERT in Minneapolis". Eventful. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  16. ^ Melo, Frederick (2020-01-02). "St. Paul rapper Lexii Alijai, 21, reportedly dies". INFORUM. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  17. ^ a b "Growing Pains". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  18. ^ a b c Stedman, Alex (January 1, 2020). "Kehlani 'Heartbroken' Over Death of Young Rapper Lexii Alijai". Variety. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  19. ^ a b "Death of 21-year-old Minnesota rapper attributed to fentanyl, alcohol". USA Today. 2020-01-28. Retrieved 2020-01-28.
  20. ^ a b c Aviles, Gwen (January 3, 2020). "Rising rapper Lexii Alijai, who died at 21, remembered by artists". NBC News. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
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