For stoop lee, the past is something he cherishes. The Detroit-born artist is keenly aware of how his upbringing made him the person and artist he is today. He brings forth a youthful exuberance while navigating relationships and the subtle moments that make or break them. His recent single, “SWEETBABYRAE”, adds to a discography that is both genuine and soulful.
Earlier this month, I chatted with stoop lee about his recent singles, connecting with the past, J. Dilla’s influence, and more!
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Noah Lyons: I chuckled when I saw your latest single was titled “SWEETBABYRAE”! What made you go with that?
stoop lee: I’m a fan of the barbeque sauce! It’s a very nostalgic thing for me since I had it a lot growing up. Even the spelling, R-A-E, my mom is a huge fan of Corinne Bailey Rae. I thought it would be interesting to mold the two together.
NL: There’s a playful desire but also longing in “SWEETBABYRAE”. It seems very personal. What place were you at when writing it?
sl: I was at a bonfire this past summer with friends a couple of weeks before I started writing it. My friend Chelsea asked why we think we’re single. We got into a conversation about being in our 20s and single. It was personal but got the wheels turning. I looked inward, and that inspired a lot of the lyrics. It was all based on how I act in dating situations and meeting women.
NL: There’s that same type of honesty on “Flintstones.” Is it hard to look inward and ultimately put those thoughts on?
sl: To be honest and put those thoughts down is not difficult. The hard part is keeping it. Sometimes I’ll tell myself I can’t be that honest or say that. Coming up with it is not hard at all!
NL: You pull a lot from cartoons. Are they something you’ve always had a deep connection with?
sl: Cartoons are something I’ve always loved. I love to create in a limitless mind state and feel like that is very childlike. There were no barriers to what I could think of or draw as a kid. I try to apply that approach to lyrics and music. I know that sounds hella cliche.
NL: I would imagine that makes your writing process a lot easier?
sl: Absolutely!
NL: You can tell when artists have a narrow vision for their songs. They solely focus on talking about one thing, even if they are not doing it well.
sl: It’s easier to be myself than force some other persona because it will come across as inauthentic! It’s free-ing to talk about stuff that I like and not worry about trying to be something else.
NL: Your sound blends a lot of rap and soul. Who did you listen to growing up that influenced your approach to music?
sl: Growing up, I listened to whatever my parents would play. A lot of radio, 98.7 in Detroit is a smooth jazz station that played Sade and Luther Vandross type-stuff.
There was another radio station that would do what they called “Flashback Weekends.” I get a lot of the upbeat swing from Motown and 80s songs that they played.
NL: Your songs have a lot of live instrumentation. Do you think that was a result of listening to music like that as a child? Or did you feel it was what your tracks needed?
sl: I think both! I’m a drummer, so live instrumentation feels right. I’ve always loved just keeping that live element. There’s just something about the feel of live music.
NL: You’re from Detroit, and I could sense a lot of Dilla in your kick drum — snare combos.
sl: Yes, no doubt!
NL: What has he meant to you?
sl: The first Dilla beat I heard was De La Soul’s “Much More”! The way he chopped his drums sounded like a live drummer. I would mimic it with my hands before I tried it on my drums. It was so different from other hip-hop beats that I had heard.
NL: Is it hard to play in that Dilla way? It seems like you have to reprogram your brain because everything is not perfectly aligned.
sl: In church, we played to a click track, and I was terrible at it. It felt natural to hear some like Dilla, he had this human feel and no quantized drums. It just felt good to me as music.
NL: “Kombucha” is one of my favorite tracks of yours. You rap in a way that is more melodic than usual. What did it take for you to feel comfortable showcasing that?
sl: I was recording in Canada, thinking about what to rap about and how to approach it. I tried singing a little bit to see how it would work, and it felt right!
It’s the first time I tried stretching myself vocally. It marked a new type of experimentation for me.
NL: What does it mean to be from Detroit? Musically, I feel like it’s underrated nationally and even regionally because it gets overshadowed by Chicago. Is there a special pride coming from a city with such a rich but often overlooked music scene?
sl: It means a lot. Like you said it’s understated when it comes to the history that we have. The grittier stuff gets all the shine, but I love carrying the sound of that Dilla tree. It keeps the Motown sound alive.
NL: What’s next for you? Are you gearing up for another album? Any collabs or singles we should look out for?
sl: Yeah, my single “03 Fubu Jersey” should be out by the time this drops. That’ll be on an EP I hopefully have out by the end of the year!
