Lou Phelps: word

By Kerry Doole

Lou Phelps - "word" (Last Gang): The 24-year-old hip-hop artist from Montreal burst out of the blocks as a solo act with 2017's Juno-nominated debut, 001: Experiments (it racked up over 1 million plays on SoundCloud), and last year's follow-up, 002 / LOVE ME, produced by his Polaris prize-winning older brother Kaytranada, also made a splash.

Ths new track and video offer further evidence of Phelps' talent. He enlists another star producer in the form of WondaGurl, as the pair linked up during a Samsung Studio Sessions collab during the Vancouver Junos last year. Together they make real magic, with Phelps spitting out lines with rhythmic ease.

The cut is accompanied by a clever and entertaining video, was directed by Lou’s longtime collaborator, Igal Perets. In a press release, Phelps explains "every time I make a song I have an idea of what the video could be or the visual behind it could be. I watch a lot of movies; I’m a very visual person. I have a feeling that when I hear something, I can visualize what I have in my head and I can translate that to the director, who makes that happen. I think it’s very important to have good visuals when you’re an up and coming artist.” 

"Visuals are really important for an artist because you can drop great music, but if you don’t have the great artistry that accompanies it, whether that’s the visuals or what not, it limits you in what you can become. You become someone who has talent but doesn’t know how to exploit it properly. I feel like that’s the way I see it … I don’t want to be just a rapper; I want to be an artist.”

Phelps is currently on the road in North America with French artist, FKJ (French Kiwi Juice).

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Publicity: Indoor Recess