"The Smartest" Makes the Case for Tee Grizzley's Spot on Everyone's Radar

Detroit has always been a staple in music, but Hip-Hop wise the artists coming out of the motor city have been somewhat scarce. Between Eminem, Royce Da 5’9”, and Big Sean, Detroit has represented the genre fairly well since the turn of the century, but going into 2020, similar to other major cities like New York City and Los Angeles, that thrived in the ’80s and ’90s, Detroit has fallen behind in the Hip-Hop arena to cities like Atlanta, Chicago, as well as the state of Florida, who have been and continue to produce young stars at an astounding level. However for Detroit, a shortlist of young artists including Tee Grizzley, 42 Dugg, Kash Doll, and TeeJayx6 make up the city’s next generation, and although the list is somewhat scarce, all hope is certainly not lost for the motor city.

Tee Grizzley has been calmly rising the Hip-Hop ranks. Grizzley first blew up on the scene in 2017 with the highly acclaimed and Lebron James approved “First Day Out”, which drew many comparisons to Meek Mill’s infamous “Dreams and Nightmares” intro. Although he hasn’t had a song as big as his debut single, Tee Grizzley has been consistently putting out notable content, including 5 solo projects in the last 3 years, with both of his studio albums reaching a status of top 25 in the country. With his flow and delivery that could be described as hard-hitting and controlled, Tee Grizzley has spent his career telling his story as a young black man growing up in a Detroit riddled with gang violence and poverty. Since his debut project “My Moment,” Tee Grizzley has certainly grown project after project, reaching new heights with each drop, his latest release “The Smartest” being yet another example of his patient growth.

Standing at 17 songs and 45 minutes long, Tee Grizzley’s latest project, feels as focused as it is free-flowing. Filled with a variety of concepts, vibes, and sounds, “The Smartest” is careful with its choice of collaboration, only featuring Meek Mill, Big Sean, Lil Baby, Lil Keed, Queen Naija and the Detroit Youth Choir. You can see the creativity intended on the project in the cover art that pays homage to major cartoons of the 2000s including “Totally Spies,” “The Boondocks” and “Codename: Kids Next Door.”

Although he has always been vivid with his depiction of Detroit’s dangerous environment, it feels like Tee Grizzley’s content continues to mature. Even in tone, Tee Grizzley’s content can never be confused for the glorification of violence, but rather an evolving autobiography by a man trying to continue to survive a world that wants him dead or locked up. When he isn’t telling you the story of his past, he’s celebrating the present, highlighting all the amazing things he’s experienced and achieved during his still young Hip-Hop career. Also acknowledging his current position, knowing good and well that at any moment his life could have had a tragic ending. 

On “The Smartest” Tee Grizzley shows off his rapping ability, displaying his wit, detail, and growth. On the song ‘Rap a Lot,’ a reference in itself to J Prince’s Rap-A-Lot label, Tee Grizzley supplies reference after reference, bringing up some of the biggest Hip-Hop labels of all time. On ‘Trenches’ featuring Big Sean, Grizzley talks about how his life has changed since entering the rap game. Going from $3 to his name, to having more colors in his chain than a Coogi fit, but when asked if he’s happy to be rich, he’d say he’s happy to be living, knowing all of the things he’s survived. On ‘I Apologize’ Tee Grizzley is upfront with his fans, admitting that on past projects he was too focused on making what would sound good on the radio rather than telling his honest story, saying “So I apologize/For comin' to the studio and seein' dollar signs/Instead of bein' real with y'all, like how I'm traumatized”. Through just these three songs we see just a few of the ways that Tee Grizzley has grown over his young career in the rap game.

Although predominantly a rapper, Grizzley frequently gets in his singing bag on his song, “Rap A Lot”, where his execution of the hook and the verses is a great example of him being able to pull off both a singing and rapping tone effortlessly. Especially with him talking about staying away from the overt pop Hip-Hop sound, his next studio album is likely to be great. Seeing as Grizzley has already shown his great chemistry with Lil Durk and Lil Yachty, I do hope that we see them on his next project. Possibly even releasing a followup project to “Bloodas” with Durk.

“The Smartest” is as much an inside look at Tee Grizzley’s life as it is instructional. Now coming at his projects as someone who made it out, the project’s perspective is as much about taking care of your community as it is understanding your role. More so than just portraying his hustle, Tee Grizzley speaks on survivor’s remorse, talking from experience about giving back to his community and his efforts never truly being acknowledged or appreciated. Tee Grizzley also spends his time on the project dodging love, new friends, and the music industry, dedicating himself to his friends, family, and peace of mind as he maneuvers through the snake pit that is the rap game. Tee Grizzley is definitely an artist to watch this decade, although he may never reach chart-topping success, his consistency in production and growth makes me optimistic. If there’s anybody to continue the Detroit legacy going forward into this decade its Tee Grizzley.