Published on March 19th, 2022 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

Who is Ohio’s Emerging Artist Fellon Phelps?

Born and raised in the Glenville neighborhood, Hip Hop recording artist Fellon Phelps is from Cleveland Ohio. His professional music career began in 2016 and he’s quite the prolific artist, having dropped over 30 offerings to date, including an EDM project to expand his base. Fellon released a standout cut for fans in March of 2021 called Only Boss Moves, the actual name of a record label he and his partner Keedoe own and started together; an idea Wild Child recording artist Keedoe created before they linked up.

Phelps writes his own lyrics and has bought exclusive rights to every beat he has ever recorded on. With his discography, Fellon Phelps has proved he is one of the most consistent and hardest working songwriters and performers in the business. One of his highlights thus far in 2022 is the song Big Steppa, released in a partnership with Harlem rapper/mogul Cam’ron’s record label Flee Farms and former Interscope executive and United Masters owner Steve Stoute. The record is touted as a classic street anthem.

Active in his community, Fellon Phelps is a member of the NAACP and is an active community leader who cares about people and has helped over 3,000 people in Cleveland Ohio start their own businesses. As part of his business initiatives, he’s bankrolled the startups himself and taught them marketing, promotion, and advertising. He’s also helped the business owners clean their credit and helped them build both business and personal credit to be eligible for home and auto loans to keep life on track.

We wanted to know more about this young lion and so The Hype Magazine got Fellon Phelps to weigh in on a few things

From the inside looking out, who is the artist Fellon Phelps?

Jonel Farmer better known as Fellon Phelps is a kid born and raised in both Cleveland Ohio’s Glenville and Harvard neighborhoods growing up from down the way and up the way attended the Shaker Heights school system before getting kicked out and then homeschooling with a private tutor from the school system.

What was the defining moment that brought you to the music industry?

My Mother Cynthia Abrams Farmer, a well-known Gospel singer, is how I started music watching her traveling the world singing. Then at 12 years old, I was in the hood playing when I met the younger brother of Layzie Bone of Bone Thugs n Harmony. Then weeks later Krayzie Bone and they both took a liking to me and I started hanging out with them doing grown-up things kids shouldn’t be exposed to. But, it made me who I am. Those guys made me industry tuff nothing is handed to you get up every day and work if you want success. Just because you are related or are close to celebrities you still have to kill what you wanna eat nothing around it.

How has your Ohio life experience influenced your sound and the stories you tell with your music?

A lot, everything I rap about is mostly was what I did and still experience in Ohio. I speak for the whole state and I’ve always been active and not just in Cleveland. I love my state, no rapper from here can tell our cities’ stories better than me. I’ve been off the porch they haven’t, I’m street they industry. I speak for those banging, in prison, and who died from senseless gun violence who can’t tell their story, and those of us who were there and still free and alive to talk about it. A lot of other rappers who try to represent us are faking and lying in their raps. I tell the truth to shine the light on our state so we can run the music industry longer than Los Angeles, New York City, Memphis, and Atlanta combined; it’s our turn now.

What’s the most satisfying about making music for you?

Music is my therapy. Being able to communicate with yourself and the world on an international scale is a blessing. I’m the same as an artist who paints pictures; the only difference is I paint pictures with words, recording, and music videos.

When you look at the state of Hip Hop, how do you feel?

My favorite decade of Hip Hop is 1995 to 2005, between those years different people from different cultures all came together. Those are some of the years that made it possible for today’s Hip Hop. They stood up for us all. This is my religion. Today’s wave of music is more auto-tuning than natural rapping and singing but I respect art and artists have the right to do whatever they want to express themselves.

What do you feel you bring to the Hip Hop table that will help influence its future?

I bring authenticity, everything most rappers trying to be I just am, I don’t try to be anything except me. Today, rappers clout chase, hating on others. I support anyone making a legitimate living. I’m easy to work with because I understand its 90 percent business and 10 percent rapping now. Noone respects talent any longer, they respect a hot beat, and if you are platinum or on the top 40 Billboard. The Internet gave us more privilege to put music out, but with so many people doing the same thing, its 50 times harder to be a success now than it use to be when you needed major labels to release music.

You’ve tendered over 31 projects so with all of the sounds and music you hear and create, are you still able to just vibe out to music or do you find yourself analyzing everything you hear?

Two weeks out of every month I’m in our Beverly Hills recording studio working with my brother Corleone. We’re always looking for a better and different sound than everyone else who makes music. We are the best brother rapper and beat producer duo of all time. The proof is in the music and numbers and we’re staying independent, never going to sell out to major labels; we want all our money.

Tell us about your new single “Big Steppa” and what it means for you!

Big Steppa was released in a partnership with Harlem rapper Cam’ron’s new record label and Queens music mogul and owner of United Masters Steve Stoute to try and help blow the Fellon Phelps brand up and take it to a mainstream level. I am grateful that my song was selected.

We’ve been down a couple of years with COVID, did that impact the way you create?

Yes, it was scary and still is. I still wear a mask and gloves, can’t take chances, never know when a surge is coming. It has affected me and everyone of color more than anyone and has now killed more people than all the world wars combined. I got all my vaccines and booster and pray its all safe.

We hear about the extra stress of being creative, how do you keep your mental health straight?

Working, staying focused, blocking negative thinking positively, working ou,t drinking tons of water, eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Just writing, recording, and performing songs relieve all my stress. I love festivals and NBA arenas the most, they are the loudest and excitement motivates me.

What’s the most important thing we should know about Fellon Phelps?

I’m a serious Gemini who has a sense of humor. I believe it’s a time and place for everything, I know when to be serious, fight, relax, enjoy life, and do business. I wanna see everyone win who feels the same about me. I’m humble never arrogant but confident, and I don’t go for any disrespect. I’m about GOD and Family first, money second. I never sold my soul and don’t plan to. I love life, traveling, and sex with different women worldwide.

Last but not least, what’s been the funniest WTF moment for you thus far in your career?

I went to a mansion party full of big-name celebrities whose names I won’t say. I walked into the smoke room to smoke my weed and it was a sex orgy of 30 plus people giving oral sex to each other, it was like something you would see in a movie but has now become a normal thing, nothing shocks me anymore. We live in an evil and perverted world full of surprises but whatever makes people happy I encourage them to do.

Check the visuals of his 2021 banger DGAF – produced by Corleone

Keep up with everything Fellon Phelps at the links below

Instagram: @fellonphelps216

Twitter: @FellonPhelps216

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/FellonPhelps

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fellonphelps216

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Tags: BMF, Cam'ron, Corleone, Fellon Phelps, Steve Stoute

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.