Rap Blog is a showcase of a standout rap song.
Lelo doesn’t seem like someone who’s ever found himself at a loss for words. Whether rapping over frantically clattering instrumentals or ambient puffs of cloud rap, the Michigan lyricist is uncannily agile, high-stepping over beats with preternatural ease. He calls his music “New Detroit,” an amorphous label that has less to do with a specific sound than “bringing a new perspective;” so while his flows offer glimpses of Veeze and Babyface Ray, you can also hear the influence of Lucki and Earl Sweatshirt. Matched with Lelo’s omnivorous taste and high standards for production, getting to the dogshit — that is, money — sounds as easy and breezy as riding a bike.
Even by Lelo’s sumptuous standards, “Main Event” sounds like a million bucks. And yeah, sampling Sade will do that, but 4amjuno’s beat has plenty of luxe appeal aside from the flip, laced with caterwauling saxophone and incandescent organ chords. But the focus remains on Lelo, coolly loping through the instrumental with his assonant verses. His lyrics jump out in perfectly phrased fragments. “She wan fuck before parler;” “heavy portions on my plate;” “pants on me prolly pleated.” When the loose hook comes in, it’s as if he’s taking a handful of seconds to breathe before his second restless verse. “I can tell he never seen no guap, he should be my student,” he grins before dismissing his haters’ outfits. “You down bad, I’ll be in Raf before I be in Louis.”
