Genre:Hip-Hop / Rap
PELL—born and raised in New Orleans but forced, at 13, to relocate with his family to Jackson, Mississippi when Hurricane Katrina hit and destroyed their home—has been praised for fusing precise lyricism and soulful singing into an eclectic sound, entirely his own. Turning to music both as an emotional outlet and a way to make friends in a new city, he pursued it through high school, college, and while working day jobs; including his first, at the local Dollar Store—a place he eventually paid homage to in the first track on his debut album. Pell rose to prominence following the release and subsequent critical acclaim of that very album: Floating While Dreaming.FWD has, to date, amassed more than 19 million streams on Spotify, and more than 7 million on SoundCloud, as well as garnering him spots on Complex’s “Top 25 Rappers to Know” and Pigeons & Planes’ “Top 10 Rappers To Know Before They Blow.” In May, he was named Spotify’s 2015 “Emerge” Artist.
Pell’s also been active on the live front: he performed at this year’s Lollapalooza, Buku, and SXSW festivals; along with appearances at the U.K.’s Reading & Leeds, and recently wrapped up a completely sold-out, nationwide tour opening for R&B/pop sensation Kehlani. Okayplayer noted, “If you haven't caught one of Pell's live shows, you're truly depriving yourself of something great."Now LIMBO, his follow-up project to FWD, is set to be released in partnership with Federal Prism, the label founded and run by visionary TV On The Radio producer Dave Sitek. Sitek is known not only for his work with TOTR, but also the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, David Bowie, and Kanye West, among many others. LIMBO is available now at pellyeah.com.