Having a brother with as totemic a presence in the industry as KAYTRANADA, it would be quite easy for Lou Phelps to either: hide in his siblings’ towering shadow, or use their acclaim to elevate his own career in the name of self-interesting. Phelps though has done neither, very much standing on his two talented feet staying true to his musical ethos, and carving an impressive career in its own right.
Across his impressive discography, rapper and producer Phelps shows immense character in his delivery and lyrical approach. He’s a unique rapper and a thoughtful yet playful writer, with instrumental backdrops that compliment, consolidate and captivate. The Canadian polymath has just returned with a new six-pronged EP, a cohesive and often thrilling body of work that boasts production contributions from his brother, as well as strong feature performances from the likes of Benjamin Epps.
We caught up with Phelps, discussing his essence, sonic relationship with his brother and collaborator KAYTRANADA, and his slick new EP.
Listen to “Top Z”…
Read the exclusive interview…
Hey Lou! How has your year been so far? What have you been to?
Sup! The year has been pretty eventful. Lots of movement, lots of anticipation, lots of travelling, etc. Busy but very well occupied
Talk us through your musical origins? Was creation something always rife in your family?
My father always played music around my brother and sisters growing up. We had a sound system and we would hear a lot of music as kids. My sisters would record music video tapes from Music centric channels like BET or MTV. My mom used to sing in a choir, dad was also a musician and had a band. I guess I’ve always been around it. Kay and I started creating music at a very young age too, I would say around grade five or six.
How have your experiences and background shaped the artistry?
I think it’s necessary for an artist to express things they’ve experienced. My background has an impact on the way I express the things i’ve exprienced. My music sounds completely different because it’s coming from a “French-Canadian with Haitian descent from the suburbs Montreal”. I feel like its a pretty unique trait and maybe thats why the music sounds so special to me.
How would you describe the essence of your sound?
Imagine a blaxploitation movie on wax.
You often work with your brother, KAYTRANADA. What is your creative relationship? What is it that you love working with?
Kay just knows what type of beats I like. I have a wide range of sounds that i would love to explore, Kay is always there to push me and make me be the artist I’m supposed to sound like at the moment of creation. We share a special bond whenever I can manage to get him in the studio… Maybe it’s the bloodline. But even when we aren’t making music, Kevin is my actual best friend.
How do you reflect on your discography to this point?
I can only see growth. There’s obviously things I would tweak from my earliest work, but every era of mine has good in it. Im glad I get to perfect my craft as my career goes.
How are you feeling about the release of your new EP?
This EP is just an appetizer for the album “Chèlbè” that is on the way. I’m always hype to share new music with the world.
Talk us through the name of the EP? Why “Top Z”?
Z stands for Zoe. Zoe stands for Haitian. The Z part is me being proud of being of Haitian descent. My cousin from Miami calls me Top Z all the time and it kind of became a thing and stuck with me.
What was the creative process of the project?
I spent about a 18 months in LA working on the album. And this is a compilation of tracks that I didn’t think necessarily fit the album’s vibe.
Sonically, what inspired the body of work?
I listen to a lot of different music. I can’t pinpoint exactly what made this EP sound the way it sounds because its kinda all of the genres of music I listen to. For example, “Connexion Francaise” would be me listening to the OG boombap hip hop mixed with some French influence, and “Tell Nobody” is more of the toxic R&B side of the music I listen to.
What are you saying across the project, thematically?
This is the “Top Z” life. I mostly talk about my life. The things I’ve experienced. Its my inner-thoughts expressed into songs. Im a person who thinks a lot and my mind is all over the place sometimes. Its a timestamp to how i was feeling from 2021 to 2024
You’re playing in London this summer at All Points East festival. What can attendees expect from your performance?
An electric performance. I love to hit the stage, I know how to rock a crowd. It’s gonna be dope.
What else is to come this year and beyond?
Putting finishing touches on the album, making sure it’s ready for the world by the end of the year!