Here is the full-length studio debut from Detroit, Michigan rapper Lelo. Signing to 10K Projects a year earlier, he would make his presence known more widely in the local trap scene by putting out his 4th EP Nightingale not too long after landing a record deal & gained even more exposure a month later by dropping the single “No Contempt” on SoundCloud. LifeAfterDogshit & When It’s Over would both increase his profile, returning 7 months after the latter to flex his New Detroit status.

“Soldier” opens up with a cloudy Detroit sound talking about giving a fuck less regarding the American dream & wanting to be in a position where’s doing good from both financial & health standpoints whereas “Good for Your Health” responds to a hoe telling him to quit showing off when he only wants to smash. “Forever in a Day” continues the cloudy Detroit trap vibes talking about picking up loads at every pit stop while “Paris” encourages a woman to follow him to France.

As for “100,000 1s”, we have Lelo encouraging everyone to get it while they’re young just before “Call It” talks about not trusting a bitch in roughly a decade. “Leisure” finds himself pondering the idea of giving a bitch $1K so he can keep her around for a bit longer until “F.A.L.” officially concludes the 1st half talking about taking shit to kill shit & not wanting to fall in love with this woman who makes him feel like he’s on cloud 9 whenever she boots him up.

“Between the 20s” kicks off the 3rd quarter unpacking a lot of shit that he has on his mind including him asking God to fill his cup back up & trying to turn someone out while “Sudden” produced by Tony Seltzer confronts an individual regarding them fucking with him all of the sudden outta nowhere. “AM” talks about him getting throwed in the morning to numb some matters he’ll take to his grave while “Groundhog Day” comes through with a 2-parter explaining that it feels like the same shit & different.

The song “Mourning Money” nears New Detroit’s conclusion talking about never being the type to go chat with people & having his entire squad willing to go to war for him while “Chirp” discusses feeling 1,000,000 wounds, with not a single one of them being effective from his point of view. The closing track “Survivor’s Guilt” ends the LP talking about him admittedly making plays when he was on autopilot & having nothing other than the post-traumatic mental condition itself.

Some may remember me saying Lelo’s debut album would elevate himself to the next level artistically during my concluding thoughts on When It’s Over & not only does New Detroit accomplish that, but it offers some of the best Detroit trap in 2025 & brings everything heard throughout his early extended plays full circle. The production minimizes the influences of standard trap & emphasizes the cloudy Detroit sound undertones to make something refreshing out of combining the 313’s musical past, present & future.

Score: 3.5/5

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