Detroit rapper Lelo has cited Midwestern artists like Earl Sweatshirt and Lucki as influences on his eerie, left-field sound. He'd been making music for around five years, including a three-year presence on TikTok, when his 2024 song "No Contempt" landed in the Billboard TikTok Top 50.
Born Khalil Jewell and hailing from Oak Park in suburban Detroit, Lelo started recording music with friends in the late 2010s. He emerged on streaming sites with singles like 2019's "Pink" and 2021's "Life Interlude," which came out around the time he started sharing clips of his music on TikTo...