Exclusive: Tee Grizzley Talks Lil Yachty Joint Project, Chris Brown, & JAY-Z's Co-Sign

Tee Grizzley is Activated. On Friday, the Detroit rapper will unleash his debut album, featuring collaborations with Jeezy, Lil Yachty, Moneybagg Yo, Lil Pump, and YFN Lucci.

On the eve of its release, Grizzley stopped by Rap-Up HQ to talk about his upcoming joint project with Lil Yachty, getting a co-sign from JAY-Z, and collaborating with Chris Brown, who appears on two songs off Activated (“Fuck It Off” and “Set the Record Straight”).

“Chris [has] been supportive of me and showing me love,” said Grizzley. “I was in L.A. one day and I had DM’ed him, like, ‘Bruh, I’m in L.A. Let’s work.’ Not even thinking he was gonna DM me back. He ended up writing me back, ‘Pull up to the crib.’ … We ended up making some fire ass music.”

Grizzley made the same connection with his “2 Vaults” collaborator Lil Yachty. In fact, the two plan on releasing a joint project this year. “After my album and after he do whatever he do, me and him are gonna drop something, probably right after the summer,” he said. “[The title] might be Bust Down Brothers or something. I don’t know.”

Meek Mill was the inspiration behind his hit “First Day Out” and also appears on the remix. “If I was gonna do a remix, I had to have him and Gucci [Mane] on there,” he said. “Gucci and Meek inspired that song. I was like, ‘I gotta do a “First Day Out” like Gucci, but I want it to be set up like ‘Dreams and Nightmares.'”

Other artists have also taken notice of Grizzley’s hard work. In fact, JAY-Z called “First Day Out” the “best” song out. “That was a big day for my career,” he recalled. “All the stuff you’ve been doing, all the verses you’ve written, all the studio time, all the writer’s block, and everything you put into your music was for you to get this type of stuff, this type of co-sign. He’s at the top of the totem pole and he told me I had the best song. So, that just let me know to keep going. I’m doing something right.”