Detroit artist Stoop Lee talks about growing up with fellow artists in P.S. 118

Ade Olaniran writes, records and performs as Stoop Lee, blending a variety of influences to create his own unique blend of hip-hop, informed by everything from jazz and soul to indie rock and electro pop. The music of Stoop Lee is also heavily inspired by the nostalgic vibes of the ’90s, and that might be ’90s music, but it’s especially ’90s cartoons, everything from anime to Hey Arnold — tapping into the signature vibe of hopefulness and whimsy imbued upon those formative shows from his youth and bringing it to the mic.

The Detroit-based up-and-coming artist is looking forward to headlining a show at Sanctuary Detroit in Hamtramck this Saturday. This show will feature Stoop Lee backed by a live band, but he’ll also be joined by his frequent collaborator Jacob Sigman, and several other up and coming indie artists around the region — all of whom have become a tight-knit micro community of creatives forged during the pandemic, who now officially call themselves “P.S. 118.”

In his interview with Culture Shift, Olaniran spoke about the metaphorical cul-de-sac of ’90s nostalgia woven into his music, but also detailed the story behind his live backing band, which is also called The Culdesac. He also shared his various influences, formative early moments and his high hopes for the music scene at large, as well as for the group of artists aligned around him known as P.S. 118. There is a new Stoop Lee EP releasing this Friday, ahead of his headlining show on March 26 at Sanctuary Detroit.

Listen: Stoop Lee blends ’90s vibes and diverse genres to create unique blend of hip-hop.