At just 25 years old, Lelo’s creative vision is incredibly zeroed in. So much so that the Detroiter, who continues to assert himself as a fiery force to be reckoned with in the contemporary rap scene, has locked in his singular ethos to just two words.
“New Detroit” is informed by all the pioneering figures, genres, and movements that preceded Lelo, rooted in history but reengineered for the future. He calls it a “Renaissance,” a culmination of fresh, new ideas that, most importantly, build on the city’s sonic groundwork.
On his debut studio album, also entitled New Detroit, Lelo draws heavily from his hometown’s myriad of musical influences, harkening back to the sounds of his childhood to hone his own artistic vision. The city’s electronic Ghettotech scene (what he recalls his mom listening to when she would get ready to go out) is one of the LP’s guiding forces, along with other beloved niches like the Motor City’s spin on house music and selection of hip hop subgenres.
Lelo recorded the album — an entirely solo project — fully in his bedroom in Detroit, where he still spends most of his time. Well, before this album dropped, that is.
Fueled by his Lelo’s legacy has far outgrown his local neighborhood, his home state, and the “underground,” — the latter of which he has thoughts on.
“I don’t know where to place my stuff. I’m fortunate in that a lot of people who gravitate toward mainstream music f*ck with me, and also people who gravitate toward the underground f*ck with me,” he reflects on his boundless persona. “I’m just doing me.”
He’s unapologetically in his own lane, one that swerves in between the underground and the mainstream. He’s moving fast in it too, recently taking a detour from his discipline to roam around Paris for Fashion Week, before briefly heading back home ahead of this current press tour … which precedes his first headlining tour, with a first show in Chicago on September 8.
Lelo says that while he’s deeply grateful for the travels his career has given him, he wishes he could spend more time at home. Especially now, he says, saying that the first people he wants to celebrate every album drop with are his family.
His goal isn’t to hit a certain number of streams or to nab an RIAA certification. It’s to buy his mom a house.
An authentic homegrown talent, Lelo pays homage to his city streets in each New Detroit track. We caught him for thirty minutes to chat more about the Detroit influence that carries through his captivating major label debut.
Fresh off your major label debut – how are you feeling?
I feel good. I was stressed out for the past few weeks [leading up to the drop], and now it feels like I can lowkey turn my brain off for a little bit now.
New Detroit’s release was slightly delayed – how do you block out the outside noise and stay focused, despite setbacks that are out of your control?
I keep a really good support system around me. Whenever I’m slacking off, I have people holding me accountable. That’s family for real – literally. [pointing to his younger brother sitting right outside the room]
Do you spend a lot of time with your family? Are they back home in Detroit?
Yeah, most of my family is back in Detroit. Three out of four of my siblings are there. I’m the oldest. I’m at home in Detroit pretty often, but I’ve been in New York City more lately. I’ve been back and forth a lot.
How do you feel about that lifestyle?
It depends. A lot of times I f*ck with it, but some times – especially right now when I’ve just dropped an album – I just want to be around family and celebrate with them. I’m grateful for all of the travelling, though.
In a recent interview, you compared your approach to making music to that of a designer making clothes. Could you say more about that?
The biggest thing with that mentality is my refusal to throw any ideas away. I hold on to a lot of shit and just keep it tucked away, and it won’t get recorded or released until I feel like it’s the right time. I’ve had some of the songs on New Detroit for over two years. Sometimes I’ll write like two lines, just jot them down, and not come back to them until like two weeks later. Very rarely do I finish a song on the first try.
How do you know when a song is finished?
I don’t. [laughing] A lot of shit isn’t done until the time literally runs out. That was the case for most of the songs on New Detroit. There wasn’t a checklist or anything I followed for each song. It was more like, “Alright, time’s up.”
Are you a perfectionist?
No! It’s not even that. I’ll just find blank spaces in songs that I want to build on. Or I’ll hear or see someone else do something super fire and be like “Damn, I should’ve done something like that,” and try and reinterpret it in my own way.
What are you listening to right now?
Anything that’s not rap, honestly. I’ve been heavy on the jazz – all of the Detroit classic shit. I’m always listening to Michael Franks. Also, a lot of house music.
Being surrounded by music as a kid, when did music become a passion for you, and when did you decide you actually wanted to make music?
When I was in elementary school, my grade had a Christmas show, and I got the rap part. My parent saw that and got super excited about it. All of the friends that I still have around me now were around me back then, too, which is really special. But yeah, that was the moment that embedded a love of music in me.
How would you describe your relationship with your fans?
I don’t look at it as an artist-fan relationship. I view it more as a person-to-person relationship. I’m still new to the whole “people being fans of me” thing. Where I’m from, damn near everybody’s famous in their own way, so “meeting fans” doesn’t even feel like a fan interaction.
Tony Seltzer produced some of New Detroit. How has working with him influenced you?
Bro really just showed love. I owe a lot to him. Since day one, I’ve never wanted to work with anyone I didn’t know personally, and he was one of the first people who just showed so much love. When I met him in person, we just clicked, and it all just made sense.
You also landed an Earl Sweatshirt co-sign so early in your career. What does that mean to you?
That was big. Even just being in the same room as him – that shit was crazy. He’s one of the greatest rappers alive in my opinion. It blew my mind. It just reinstilled in me a new love for the art – not necessarily that I was losing it, but it just reminded me how much I want this.
Who else are some of your inspirations, in music or outside of music?
It’s not even really a “who.” It’s more so the shit I’m seeing around me. I watch a lot of movies. I’ll watch an old ass movie and wonder “How the f*ck did this come to life?” and that thought puts the battery in my back to create. Music-wise, though, Michael Franks. I’ll hail Michael Franks for the rest of my life [laughing.] André 3000 is another big one. Big K.R.I.T. when I was younger. And yeah, of course, Earl.
You were in Paris for Fashion Week recently – is fashion a passion for you? What are your favorite labels?
For sure. Yohji Yamamoto is my all-time favorite. Margiela. McQueen. I like a lot of Japanese stuff.
Would you ever design clothes?
100%. Once I get the time. I don’t want to feel like I’m phoning it in.
Aside from that, are there any other side quests you’d pursue?
Yeah – I went to college for art. I did a painting concentration. So as soon as my time clears up, I’d love to make more art.
On that note, how did you ideate the visuals for this album?
It’s really just me [acting on an idea] in the moment, and then just continuously sitting with it for a long period of time and seeing if it sticks. With the dog motif in this album, it just really stuck with me and nearly became a part of the “New Detroit” mentality.
On that note, you’ve spoken a lot about your “New Detroit” concept and how you view it as a Renaissance, almost, of ideas coming out of the city. Tell me more about when you came up with this idea and how it’s evolved.
It birthed out of me, making music, and nothing seemed to be connecting. Then, it started working, and I think it was a random social media comment that launched the concept. The comment didn’t even say the words “New Detroit,” but it just prompted something in my head, like, “Okay, my music was resonating.” “New Detroit” is definitely like a Renaissance in the sense that it’s a bunch of new ideas and me bringing my flair, but it’s also a homage to the old, Detroit shit I grew up listening to. The identity of a Detroiter is really important to this album.
Detroit’s electronic scene, specifically the Ghettotech genre, heavily impacted this project. Why was it important to lean into this influence?
I can’t call myself “New Detroit” or say I’m putting on for the city without including Ghettotech. That was super important. That was the music my mom would listen to. The generation before us listened to it. The generation now listens to it. That shit is so important. That music has a different type of effect. I needed to include it.
Are there any other genres that are prominent on here?
A lot of different styles from the city’s rap scene. Electronic-wise, if it’s not Ghettotech, it’s house music. There are a lot of talented DJs coming out of Detroit right now.
How do you feel about people labeling you as “underground”?
I don’t know. It’s cool to be underground. Just the nature of the music industry has put me in a little limbo. I don’t know where to place my stuff. I’m fortunate in that a lot of people who gravitate toward mainstream music f*ck with me, and also people who gravitate toward the underground f*ck with me. I’m just doing me.
“I can’t call myself ‘New Detroit’ or say I’m putting on for the city without including Ghettotech. That was super important.”
The first song on the album is “Soldier,” and the last song is “Survivor’s Guilt.” Is survival a theme of the project?
100%. I honestly didn’t even intend to have them be in that order. I think that’s what makes it even more special. I made so many f*cking songs, and the most cohesive ones stood out. “Survivor’s Guilt” was the first thing I recorded, and it ended up making it.
Why was that an important concept to reference?
I mean, shit. That’s just some real Detroit shit, some real inner city shit. I feel like I’ve been lucky enough for shit to work out in my life in a positive way, but a lot of me making this album was me growing up. You lose a lot of people. You see a lot of people make the wrong decisions.
Are there any other key themes of the album?
A lot of it is mimicking my coming-of-age story. Themes like growing up, getting older. With that comes relationships, money stuff, family shit – all that. So this project is me reflecting on that in my own little cryptic way.
What else about Detroit is evident throughout the album?
I don’t even necessarily know how to explain it. When I’m outside of Detroit, people don’t necessarily always know that I’m from Detroit, but a Detroiter can tell right away. It’s just the way we carry ourselves – a certain type of flair that being from there gives. So it’s hard for me to answer that question because a lot of it, to me, is just regular shit that’s not performative at all to me.
How has working closely with Detroit legend Babyface impacted you?
That was a solidifier. It was poetic. To be around another person from where you’re from who is at that level. Being around him taught me a lot of shit. He pulled up to my hood. With my people. At my granddad’s restaurant. You can’t replicate that.
What is your ultimate marker of success or “making it”?
I just want to continue to make projects that I’m genuinely proud of, and as I grow, I hope my impact gets bigger. I hope that in five to 10 years, “New Detroit” is an empire and it becomes some shit that expands my city.
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