Hip-Hop Up and Comer of the Month: Lelo On Ghettotech, Sada Baby & the ‘Kooky Ass’ 1970s Movie Inspiring Him
Categoria: Musica
After dropping two impressive EPs already this year, the young Detroit rapper is looking to share his most ambitious project yet.
Por Billboard | 18/06/2026
Lelo made a name for himself with last year’s stellar offering, New Detroit , which prompted Billboard to include him on its Artists to Watch in 2026 list. He’s now back with two EPs, Mastiff and Pink Tiles , that he packaged into a two-disc tape where one side displays the new Detroit sound he’s been cultivating, while the other disc features him riding a more experimental wave as he raps over ghettotech-infused production (ghettotech is a subgenre distinct to Detroit and is just as prevalent as rap is over there). Having grown up around both scenes, Lelo wanted to showcase the influence they’ve each have had on him as an artist. “I wanted both titles to really feel like some home s—t,” he said while stopping by the Billboard offices in New York earlier this month. “Real cultural references, you feel me?” With these two EPs out of the way, he’s now focused on a tour for the rest of the summer and working on his sophomore album that he says will be inspired by a cult rock opera from the ’70s called Phantom of the Paradise . Directed by the incomparable Brian de Palma, the film follows an artist who’s work was stolen by a music producer. The plot pulls from various stories like The Phantom of the Opera , The Picture of Dorian Grey and the 16th century German legend Faust. It’s a big swing for a young artist like the Detroit rapper, but he just couldn’t ignore the similarities between himself and some of the things the main character Winslow Leach has to deal with as he tries to navigate this cutthroat record industry. “It talks about selling your soul, falling in love in the industry,” he said when discussing the album’s themes. “So, I feel like just off that alone there’s so much s—t that I can create a metaphor out of.” He shared more about that, experimenting with new sounds and themes, Detroit rap history and much more. Check out the conversation below. You dropped two EPs already this year and they both had different sounds, talk about the first EP Mastiff . Mastiffs are the dogs I grew up with. My parents had them, my granddad used to have one. The kids next door, they used to jump the fence with him and steal them for dog fights, crazy s—t. The first side is more hard hit, more traditional Detroit s—t, more hood music, so that’s where the Mastiff s—t came from. Was it a continuation from New Detroit ? It felt like the same kind of vibe, at least some of the beats that you were rapping on. Yeah, and I think that’s always gonna kind of hold through. We might be working on advancing the sound but we’ll never want to lose that part of it. That type of music comes so natural. Songs on there like “Dialect” and “Monetize” are damn near like reps in the gym I’m putting up. Versus the other side, where that’s more of me delving into s—t I know I could do, and wanting to do it early, s