Drelli
Rising rapper Drelli, born Mondrell Fields Jr., just wants to make music that feels good. Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Drelli was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at just 11 months old, a brush with death that has always left him feeling pretty grateful to be here. “That’s what I want people to feel with my music. I love making people have a smile on their face,” he admits.
With an improvised approach to his sessions, Drelli’s work is hard to define. “People always ask me what type of music I make. I got sick of trying to describe it, so I started calling it SWAG BOP.” More of a songwriting philosophy than a distinct term, Drelli’s self-coined SWAG BOP is a groovy mix of funk, trap and house, with lyrics that find humor in everyday life. “I brought all these things together to make my own genre that allows people to feel like they're in their own world when they listen,” he explains. “But I’m still developing the meaning of it as time goes on. It’s a feeling.”
After a few years of consistent releases and self-directed music videos, Drelli’s work began to organically catch the attention of outlets like Pitchfork and Pigeons and Planes, and his single “We Don’t Sell Dope” was placed in the 2020 season finale of HBO’s Insecure. “When people ask me ‘how did you do this?’ I don’t even have an answer besides dropping music and working hard,” he says. With Drelli, there is no secret to his success - just good songs.