It’s hard to think of a singular city that’s shifted the sound more in recent years than Detroit.
At this point, there’s no denying that the off kilter flows, asymmetrical drum patterns, and gritty nonchalance of the motor city have become the standard for cool kids across the country.
While the rest of the country is still catching up, 24-year-old Lelo is already living in the future. His signature New Detroit sound bakes in all the unmistakable grittiness of the D, while creating an entirely new feel built around his dense slick-talking bars, stylized monotone delivery, and a unique ear for innovative production – weaving together a dark, futuristic soundscape that feels like the obvious choice to soundtrack a Blade Runner / 8 Might Mile mashup.
A true Detroit native, Lelo is a hustler with an independent mindset. Since first breaking through in 2022 with “Upset,” he doubled down on himself with a consistent string of featureless singles, methodically fleshing out his world of New Detroit before hitting another home run early this year with back to back releases of his biggest tracks yet, “No Contempt” and “Limbless.” Only to be followed up with the debut of the Ghettotech-infused “Yoppenheimer” during a standout On the Radar performance over the summer, cementing his place as one of the youngest and brightest stars shaping the future of the his city in the most Detroit way possible: on his own terms.
We sat down with Lelo to hear more about how life after dogshit is treating him, his new project When It’s Over, and his vision for New Detroit in 2025.
Check out Lelo’s new tape ‘When It’s Over’ below
ACW: What is New Detroit?
Lelo: The biggest thing about New Detroit is that its all based around perspective, my perspective. It’s not necessarily about shifting the sound or saying that everything else is ‘old Detroit’. It’s really just about bringing a new perspective, whether that be the sound, what I’m talking about, and just the overall vibe. I haven’t been trying to too hard to define exactly what New Detroit is, it’s been growing and evolving on its own, like it’s different than what it was when it started. At the core its me, its new, and its definitely Detroit. I just hope eventually that it’ll do things that’ll grow beyond myself and outlive me.
ACW: What does New Detroit sound like?
Lelo: It’s kinda hard to define, I think it’s really like a blend of my inspirations growing up. I would listen to hella Earl (Sweatshirt). I fucked with their (Odd Future’s) take on beats and sounds. And then of course mixed with Detroit. Like the way I’m talking, the references, the sounds in the beats – if you’re really from the city you know.
ACW: And is there some Ghettotech influence in there?
Lelo: Yeah definitely. Ghettotech is super big here, Detroit was like one of the founders of it. It’s like super a part of my identity and the sound of the city. A lot of the producers that I work with too, like Dub and Sho, they literally have a Ghettotech group so yeah it’s definitely blended in there with the sound.
ACW: Who are some of the producers you like working with?
Lelo: There’s really a lot but yeah I like to have a personal relationship with all the producers I’m working with. I’m really picky when it comes to beats. It’s hard to put in words but it’s just got to feel right and sound like a Lelo beat. My guys CDUB and Shogun of course (together known as Groovepill), we actually all live together. Big shoutout to Sam Rubin, he’s really a goat with his own perspective on beats that’s so unique to him. Wes is super hard. Beanjawn deserves a lot of credit for helping build the sound early on. Skettio and Fakez have been really important too. And Tony Seltzer another goat. There’s more too.
ACW: Given that Detroit and the Midwest have such strong regional sounds, are there any other regional sounds you like?
Lelo: To be honest I’ve really been locked in, I haven’t been listening to too much music at all. But like growing up I was always attracted to like Atlanta of course, and New Orleans for sure. Being from Detroit it’s like you automatically fuck with how they do it in New Orleans. Chicago of course, just makes sense. And Milwaukee too, that’s like another brother city damn near.
ACW: What’s been your approach to releasing and why no features?
Lelo: Ever since I started I’ve really just been trying to drop as consistently as I can, while also developing my sound. And yeah I haven’t had any features yet. Really I feel like shit’s still in its infancy. Yeah I’ve been doing it a long time but I’m still early on it. I’ve got my own thing going on and I’m really trying to cultivate and grow it so I’ve just gotta be selective and not rush stuff like features.
ACW: What were some of your most notable early releases?
Lelo: “Upset” of course was like a big early moment (in 2022). I don’t think the song fully resonates with me anymore, but it was a huge part of my journey and that’s how a lot of people found out about me. Another big one was “Daybreakers” that I dropped last summer, that song was really like a child of mine. And then “New Detroit,” that was like a defining moment and really putting the stamp on New Detroit.
ACW: What was the reception like to “No Contempt” earlier this year and how have things changed since then?
Lelo: “No Contempt” was one of those ones where I really had the feeling like as I was creating the song. Occasionally when I’m recording I catch like kind of a flow state, where things just come so easy and it doesn’t take as much time as it normally does. As soon as I heard the beat and started I felt like I already knew what it was gonna do. And then it did. That song definitely changed my life. It brought a bunch of new eyes on what I’m doing. I’ve had a few moments before that felt big at the time, but that was definitely the biggest and it really shifted the trajectory of everything and is allowing me to do what I’m doing now.
ACW: Was there anything in particular that made you realize that moment was different?
Lelo: If I’m being honest, probably the hate more than anything. Just like comparisons and I think people not understanding the region I’m from or the different sounds out of Detroit. And you know my delivery and me coming off a little monotone, some people not really used to that. It’s all good though I don’t take it personal at all. I usually judge things not by how many likes it gets but by how much discourse there is around it, and “No Contempt” had a lot of people talking hah. But really it’s fye honestly. I’ve been doing it for so long and garnered a fanbase of super loyal people that get what I’m doing, I saw they were going to bat for me so that was really cool to see.
ACW: What was the reception like to your On the Radar appearance earlier this year?
Lelo: That shit was fly man. “Yoppenheimer” that I did on there, that was another one that I just knew. From the first bar of it. It was really surreal honestly, that’s a real meaningful song to me with some of the stuff I was going through at the time. I’m like really shouting out family members and talking about real stuff that’s going on. So seeing it manifest on On The Radar, seeing people engage with it how they did, and my family back at home watching it and resonating with the things I’m saying on it. It was really cool.
ACW: And last month you dropped a 4-pack ‘Life After Dogshit.’
Lelo: Yeah and I know people be confused about “Dogshit” haha that’s just some Detroit terminology (that means money). I had just got back from Tokyo for the first time and traveling to places to I never thought I’d get to see for a long time, so I was just feeling fly and wanted to flex and get it off my chest real quick. It’s more than just like “I got money now.” This whole time really has felt like a new beginning so it’s really that. And the songs on there is a mix between songs I made recently, but then there’s “Like That” which I made probably around the same time as “Upset” (2 years ago). So the fact that we were able to get it out, and for what I was doing back then to still resonate now is fye.
ACW: What are some of the songs on the new EP ‘When It’s Over’ you’re most excited about?
Lelo: There’s two songs with Shogun that are really hard and I’m super excited for, they’re called “Manga” and “Get It Together.” And I think them together is an amazing moment. Me and Sho really got a flow state going on. He’s damn near got his own fanbase within my fanbase just based on how we work together. So I think those two are gonna be a real highlight.
ACW: Over the years you’ve dropped some songs with some pretty interesting names (Ex. “Evangelion,” “Yoppenheimer,” “Demeulemeester”). Are you like German or something?
Lelo: Haha no I’m not but yeah, a lot of them just be like really niche references. I really fuck with the fashion shit, and Demeulemeester that’s like a fire brand. “Yoppenheimer” was all Sho’s idea. It was like peak Oppenheimer time and Yop is yop (extremely common Detroit/Midwest slang). And yeah just a lot of the song titles or references in the songs are just like cool niche references – like “Evangelion” is a fire movie series.
ACW: What are your plans for 2025
Lelo: I’m excited to just keep going. I’ve been holding back on some stuff not trying to rush, so I’m excited to get to that. And we’re gonna be building out the brand and lifestyle of New Detroit in the new year, I can already see it being a lot bigger than what it is now. That’s the main thing we’re focused on right now is New Detroit.