In person, Terry Sanchez Wallace, Jr., better known as Tee Grizzley, is an affable, reserved presence. Catch him on stage or on record and that’s another story; he attacks every line, every song as if it’s his last. In 2016, after serving 3 years of a 5-year sentence, Tee Grizzley dropped “First Day Out” detailing his past transgressions. This certified banger offers a lens with which to understand his entire catalog and his rising career: authenticity, honesty, and bars on bars on bars. As if making up for time lost, Tee has kept recording and releasing at a prodigious rate. Most recently, he linked up with legendary producer Timbaland for his most amazing album to date, “Scriptures.” StockX recently caught up with the Detroit legend to talk his past, present, and future.
The following interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
StockX: Tee, it’s a pleasure to be able to talk with you. Would you mind telling me a little bit about yourself and your family?
Tee Grizzley: Okay. There’s Tee Grizzley, the Detroit artist, the motivational speaker, the poet, whatever you want to call it. My name is Tee Grizzley. My whole family is from Detroit. My mama’s side is from the west side; my daddy’s side is from the east side. So I got the best of both worlds as far as that’s concerned. I grew up on both sides, for real.
What was it like growing up on both sides of Detroit?
It was fun, at first. I was young and carefree and didn’t worry about anything. I was living for that day. If I had a couple of dollars to go to the store; if I had some nice clothes and sweet shoes, my life was complete.
Do you have a particularly vivid memory from growing up?
For Christmas this one time I got this bike. It was the sweetest bike I ever saw in my life. It was a tricked out bike. Everything you could think of was on this bike. It got stolen three days later. I’ll never forget that.
Man, that’s rough. Ok, let’s switch and talk music. So what’s your first memory of music?
My first memory of music, I was like twelve years old, and my uncles had called me to the studio to sing this hook. I didn’t know what that was; I didn’t know what was going on. But they kept telling me, “just repeat this,” and I just repeated it. When I heard it played back, I fell in love with my voice.
When most people first hear their recorded voice, they don’t like it. You were the opposite. That’s cool.
Yeah, I just really liked it.
How did you first get interested in hip-hop?
Like I said before, going to the studio with my uncles. It was always hip-hop. They weren’t recording rock or soul or R&B or anything. It was always hip-hop.
Since it’s always been hip-hop, what does hip-hop mean to you?
It was a part of black culture. That’s what it used to be, but now it’s for everybody with people from different countries into hip-hop too. And this expansion is such a good thing for hip-hop; hip-hop gets bigger, and more light gets shined on hip-hop.
Do you have an artist or a record that you like to go to when you need to listen to something to put you in a good mood?
Oh, yes, yes, I do. I’ll either put on some Locksmith or “More than Friends” [off of Tee Grizzley’s “Scriptures”]. They both have such a vibe on it that it just makes me feel good. That’s my go-to music.
Walk me through your creative process. How do you put a project together?
It depends. Sometimes I can write to the beat. Other times I can’t write to the beat; I’ll need to sit back and have some time to think to write this shit and have complete silence. Other times I’ll hear a beat in the studio and just go in, and I’ll have everything written up in like 15 minutes. It just depends.
Switching from music to fashion, you’re heavy into fashion, and you’ve got a great eye, what are some are your favorite brands?
I like a few things that are under the radar. I like those PURPLE brand jeans. For some reason, Balmain is under the radar for pants. I really like Balmain pants. Also, I like Dior a lot. Recently I’ve been moving to Dior. I’ve never really been into it before and I just really like it.
Do you have a favorite sneaker?
Right now, my favorite sneaker is the white Air Force 1. They go with anything; you can literally throw anything on with them. I also like the Off-White x Timberland Wheats. Timberlands have always been a classic to me. You can wear those with anything, and it always looks good. Then you have the Off-White x Timberlands, and they just have this different type of vibe to them.
What do sneakers mean to you?
They play a big role in my life because you can look at somebody’s sneakers and be able to tell everything about that person. Sneakers are important to me because I’ve got a lot of clothes [laughs]. I have to have shoes that match the clothes.
Ok, so how would you describe your style?
I would describe it this way: if I could resell it, I would make a lot of money. My style, the clothes in my closet, you’d be able to put it all up on StockX.
How do you view your music and your art in comparison with everything that’s coming out of Detroit right now?
I don’t feel like there’s any comparison because I put myself on a higher level. But I think we’re all doing the same thing because we’re all from the same place. They’re getting money, too. Even though I made it, I always represent Detroit by the way I dress, by the way I talk, everything.
What should people know about Detroit?
They should know it’s not a tourist attraction. It’s trying to be, but it’s not. Detroit is definitely coming back to what it once was. There are so many people from here that have made a mark on the world.
What does success look like for you; how do you know when you’ve made it?
It depends on how far you want to go. Some people are cool with a certain amount of money. Some people are cool with a certain amount of possessions. For me, it’s like, I’m just going to go until I can’t no more. When I can’t do it anymore, then I’m going to know that I really put some work in and that I really accomplished something.
Before we wrap this up, tell me about your new album “Scriptures”?
My new album is executive produced by Timbaland; this is definitely a highlight of my career. I was in the studio with Kanye vibing, and I ended up linking up with Timbaland, and he ended up doing my whole album.
How does this album compare to your previous work?
This album just blows everything out of the water. You can hear the growth in every new project I do. You can always hear the growth, so that’s how I know I’m not moving backward.
Anything else you want to let people know?
I’m a humble dude. I’ve been through a lot, you feel me? I’ve been through Hell. I really come from poverty. But I’ve always made the best of every situation I’ve been in.
