Ape's breakout single "잊지마" ("It G Ma") was released on January 1, 2015,[3][4][5][6] and was ranked by Billboard K-Town at number five on their list of the Best K-Pop Songs of 2015.

[7] Keith Ape has been called the "Korean OG Maco" and noted for an exciting concert performance at 2015's South by Southwest rap showcase, among other performances which included Young Thug, Desiigner, Waka Flocka Flame, XXXTentacion, and more.

[8] His concert at SOB's in 2015 was listed as one of The New York Times top 40 picks, "unrestrained mayhem", and "a clear inheritor of Southern rap rowdiness".

[10] OG Maco claimed Keith Ape and friends had mocked him by using black stereotypes to sell music in their video of "It G Ma".

[10] As of August 13, 2015, OG Maco collects royalties from "It G Ma", and has since deleted his tweets regarding his accusations of cultural appropriation.