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?”
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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.
