Stylish. Elegant. Fashionable. That’s the definition of ‘Chèlbè’, the title of Lou Phelps’ 11-track sophomore album. A pioneer of the dance-rap fusion many now call “bounce” music, Lou Phelps has been steadily defining his imprint on world music and with the release of Chèlbè, the time is now and has never felt more right.
From start to finish, the project maintains the head-nodding energy that’s become synonymous with Lou Phelps and with a healthy dose of Haitian cultural influence, Chèlbè offers a window into the heart of Montreal’s identity - a city Phelps describes as “a melting pot of influence.”
Lou Phelps' rise has been shaped by both talent and authenticity. From his early days with The Celestics to his solo work, his sound has always reflected his charisma and cultural roots. With Chèlbè, he steps fully into his own, blending classic rap, bounce, and Haitian influences into a style that feels as vibrant and self-assured as he is.
Deeds Magazine sat down with the star, to unpack his project and all that sits awaiting.
What was it like to have Chèlbè out in the world, because this has been a few years in the making hasn’t it?
Man, it feels nice, and I think the people received it well. I'm very happy with that, but I try not to follow the stats as I love the album from head-to-toe.
Talk to me about the word Chèlbè, and do you feel the album encompasses this word sonically?
For the album I tried to capture that and the vibes I've lived, and that was pretty much the idea behind the album. It does the job well, and I think it sounds how Chèlbè should. To me, it feels very reminiscent of the early Odd Future days and that’s what I used to listen to, when I was growing up, so I made music for what I would listen to if I were a fan of me, you know?
Bounce is how you’ve always described your music, it’s almost like a version of G-Funk but Montreal style, especially when listening to ‘PIMP Freestyle’, do you feel there’s been a shift in popularity of Bounce in recent years?
Every big artist has been making songs with some sort of bounce to it, particularly in the hip-hop genre. When I think about Anderson .Paak, one of his first songs I ever heard was, ‘Am I Wrong (feat. Schoolboy Q)’ and then there was ‘Come Down’, and they were bouncy songs that make you nod your head. It's funky. I think rappers want to explore that a bit more, and can they do it? Can they execute it? Who knows? I stuck to the plan. I just kept doing what I do.
I think this style is suited to you, and not many other people can rap on those sorts of beats, because it's not for everyone. However, Goldlink works well…
Goldlink is the only rapper that raps on those types of beats, well one that I can stand for a whole album. Ever since he first started, I've been telling Kay (Kaytranada) “Yo, we gotta work with him”. And then we got him on The Celestics tape - he was like my first ever feature outside of Montreal people. Now we are here again, it's like we’re starting back.
Since we last caught up, has Chèlbè undergone any evolutions?
The last time we spoke was when I released ‘Jungle’, right? Yeah. The album I was going to release had a few songs that I dropped as singles in there. We had this crazy transition from ‘2am Interlude’ into ‘Touché’, but we had to drop it because it was too long and I didn't want to have half of the album out already. There's a few songs I left off and then there's the extra song in the vinyl as well. We’re going to drop a deluxe soon, a deluxe album with the instrumentals and I don't know if you heard my tape that I dropped on Bandcamp. It's called SUGE, which is an acronym for Stand Up Guy Entertainment- a label that I want to start.
Do you think you have a responsibility as an artist to put Montreal on the map?
There's a lot of talent in Montreal, and I'll do my best to put it on display. The thing with Montreal is that everyone wants to be the first one to do stuff. I'm the type of person that doesn't want to do what everyone wants to do, so I'm just letting them do what whatever they want to do with the whole who's the king of Montreal type of thing. I'm not with those types of antics, I'm just here to do music. Then if you want help, I can help you, because we're in proximity, but then if you don't put the effort, or you don't take it seriously, I'm not going to help - I'm saying this as if I'm like a OG. On a whole though, I would definitely love to be the guy that's like, “Montreal, here's this artist”.
What was the track where everything just clicked on the album, when you almost knew the direction that it needed to go in the creative process?
‘Prolly Us’ which was originally called BBW love, and I was trying to be clever because the meaning was ‘Bad Bitches Want Love’. When I heard the sound of that beat, I was like, “Nah, this has to be the sound of the album” - a dancy sample based album. Jungle came around, then ‘After i (feat. Goldlink)’ and then ‘I Dunno’. As much as I wanted a dance-based album, I thought you wouldn’t play this at the club, you would play this while you get ready or when you wind down driving back home. I love club music however people don't necessarily want to hear lyrical stuff. There's specific songs that they listen to. I prefer a bit more substance in my music a tiny bit more.
What song on the album means the most to you?
Under My Skin (feat. Nono Black) because I remember that session and it was smooth. The beat was made and I was like “let me try something”. I tried it and it was pretty fire. And then, or, either, either under my skin. If not that song, then ‘AftaParty’ because the first verse is Kay's verse. Kay was like, “You should rap my verse.” And I was like, “Alright, cool”. We were in the studio together, and we made the song together. It felt right. This is a special song to me.
Reflecting on your most recent tour, were there any unexpected moments that's reshaped your perspective?
I didn't expect people to like ‘IS MY MIC ON’ that much. Every time I played ‘PIMP Freestyle’ which really is a freestyle like you just saw the heads bopping, you know, because there was like a pause in between the song before, where I break to cool down. But then once the beat hits, you see the crowd moving their head, and then side to side. I'm like, okay, like, I did my job
Is there a moment in the album where you delved into your identity?
I spit a few Creole bars and try to sprinkle a little bit more of my identity. I would say, ‘Is My Mic On’ is the one song where I'm 100% me. This is like, let's talk about my past, let's talk about where I want to go and let's talk about me identity. Every song to me sounds better in English, completely in English. But when I blend English and Creole, I feel like it's just like a unique touch of mine. I just want to find a way to be creative and have my own identity when it comes to being a rapper, and that's pretty much why I do it, and that's why the English and Creole works well.
Do you think bounce as a genre carries the essence and influence of like 80s music?
I think it does, especially like when you talk about songs like ‘PROLLY US’. I remember showing my Dad that song for the first time, and he was like “Yo, this is about to be a hit. This about to be crazy”. He never really reacts to any of my music like that. But on bounce, Kaytranda’s drums are the music - his instrumentals are Caribbean inspired, and it carries a lot of the Haitian roots in there. It’s not like I'm doing trap music. It's not American. It's not Canadian sounding. The music is like a representation of what a kid from the suburbs of Montreal would listen to when they’re inspired by J Dilla, Karriem Riggins or Madlib.
What's the mindset do you normally have to get in make sure that you're in that creative zone?
I have to listen to a lot of beats and then once I hear the beat that makes me feel some type of way about it. I'm not going to rap on any beat. It has to be special. Once I feel that special spark, I start toplining, which is where you lay down the flow of the song, or how you want to rap something. Then come the lyrics once that’s locked in.
Now that you put the album out this year what is the next step in terms of evolving your sound and where do you see yourself going with your music?
I would love to be in sessions with other producers, and other artists and instrumentalists, so I can soak up the most knowledge I can before it's too late. Rap has an expiry date, and you have a few years if you're not unique with your shit.
Credits
Photographer: Clare Setian @claresetian
Creative Director: Clare Setian @claresetian and Zekaria Al-Bostani - @zek.snaps.
Producer: Seneo Mwamba @seneomwamba
Hair stylist : Gaia Bezbradica @gaia_maua
Grooming: Afsha Kabani @afshaartistry
Stylist: Josh T Arimoro @joshtarimoro
Movement Director: Ayanna Birch @ayannabirch_
BTS: Naomi Nwabuisi @naomivds
Creative Assistant: Whitney Sanni @its.whit_
Writer: Josh Clubbe @joshclubbe
