The Price Keeps Going Up for Cleveland’s Chelsea Pastel

Former band geek turned aspiring rapper Chelsea Pastel (real name Chelsea Ferguson), from Cleveland's Buckeye-Woodhill neighborhood, has been in the game for almost a decade and is hungry for more.

This summer was supposed to provide a nationwide spotlight, as she was slated to join Kid Cudi on his INSANO tour, but an injury to the other Cleveland native forced the tour to be canceled.

Still, Pastel was undeterred, and despite not being able to be a part of the tour, she was overjoyed when she got the initial call. "It was really dope. Getting that call and having him reach out to me meant a lot," she says. "Seeing my name on those tickets even, on the flyers and whatnot, it makes me feel like I'm on the right path."

Where did the colorful rapper's path begin?

Pastel recalls playing the keyboard at an early age. "My mother always bought me keyboards.” Pastel believes her interest in different instruments profoundly affected her: "My main focus was learning the keyboard. Learning the programs," she said. "But at the time, back in like in '07, '06 maybe, I used to spend a lot of my time making beats and just trying to even rap over them, to be as creative as possible."

Following that Pastel began the process of applying to the esteemed Cleveland School of the Arts. Upon being accepted, she learned several instruments including the sax, tuba, trombone, piano, drums, and bass/trombone. However, she had been making rhymes since middle school and called herself C-Money.

And while many big artists like Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj have inspired her, she also credits Cleveland rappers like Cory Bape, Fat Al, Chip Da Ripper, and Ray Cash.

As her artistry grew, it didn't take long before the rapper gained attention. A few years back, Pastel earned herself a partnership with actress Issa Rae’s company, Raedio. Launched in 2019, the company is focused on offering a platform through its own, "music label publishing, music supervision, music library, podcasts, digital content, and events divisions," per the website.

Regarding what makes her stand out, Pastel says her originality and flavor sets her apart from her peers. She also points to her childhood as influencing her style. "All the elements of my life, make up for me, ya know?" she says. "That's between where I grew up, the friends I grew up around, [and] the school I went to." But she can't do it all alone, she acknowledged. Despite being an independent artist, the rapper emphasized how instrumental her management has been in her career. "Having a team helps me focus more on creativity and specific tasks."

When it comes to her creative process, it starts at her home, she says. Pastel reveals that she starts songs completely from scratch, or hears a melody in her head: "What I like to do is, when I'm producing it, I like to put on a piano sound and I'll play out the beat," she says. "From there I start swapping out other sounds and then make my song around that. Sometimes the drums are last for me because... and this might be the band geek in me... I just think melodically."

Overall, Pastel wants her fans to feel inspired and embrace freedom. "I'm a warm person and want that energy to go through my music." Music has always been the rapper's rock and has even helped her in dark times. "A lot of things can change, people change, situations change, but that won't change, my music." She says it's the "one thing she can control."

Since her start, the rapper has released a slew of singles including, "Stop Asking," "Whiplash," and more recently, "Greener" and "2 Much." As she looks toward the future, Pastel sees herself not only solidified as an artist but also venturing into other mediums.

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