Christian Felner, stage name Felly, is a 20-year-old Connecticut-born rapper and producer who spends his free time pursuing a degree in Music Industry at the University of Southern California. Leading this double life recently earned him a spot on Billboard's top five artists still in college. A Soundcloud sensation of sorts, Felly has developed quite the devoted fan base evidenced by the millions of plays he has amassed. Take for example his D.R.O. produced single "Probation" which has recently broken 1.5 million plays.
All the success Felly enjoys has been achieved without signing to a major. The label he is a part of, 2273 Records, can be essentially thought of as a collection of hip hop-minded individuals who happened to meet at USC. In fact, the label gets its name from the freshman dorm room number they used to hang out and freestyle in. It doesn't get much more independent than that.
While Felly's YouTube channel features videos of him rapping and beat-smithing dating back to 2011, the pursuit of his passion as a viable career seems to have begun around the time he started attending USC with the release of Waking Up To Sirens. Since then he has released Milk & Sugar, a beat tape titled Sun God, his most recent album This Shit Comes In Waves, and an additional beat tape called SOUTH LINDA.
On December 4th, 2015 Felly played a show at Middlebury College. The rowdy crowd donned in 2273 gear was well versed in the scripture of the Sun God and devoted to seeing him, some having driven upwards of five hours to be there. I myself hitched a 3-hour ride with two fellow Felly fan friends from Hamilton College. We had heard about the show and wanted to go, but decided that as it was during our finals we would only go if I could secure an interview. My Senior Editor hit Felly up and put us in touch. I asked if he would be down to do a video interview and he coolly told me to bring a camera so we could "just kick it for 15 minutes or something" provided I "come with some cool questions." And so kick it we did.
This interview finds Felly backstage immediately after the show, in a green room full of his East coast friends and a few of the 2273 crew. Our conversation illuminates details about his identity as a musician, his thoughts on the state of hip hop, and the future of his sound. Beyond shedding light on Felly as a musician, the interview offers a unique insight into Felly as a regular college kid. Press play and enjoy seeing the duality that is Felly come to life before your eyes as he answers my questions about his music while straight kicking it with friends old and new.
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