Everyone loves a good rags to riches story. The underdog who made the big comeback to win the big game. Enter street rapper Terrence Sanchez Wallace Jr., the hustler fondly referred to as Tee Grizzley. Grizzley, born in Detroit, Michigan, was raised by his grandmother in the Joy Rd. & Southfield neighborhood, because of the proficiency of which his parents frequented in and out of prison. Some of the defining moments of his life were, in 2011, when his mother was convicted to 15 years in prison for drug trafficking, and in 2012, his father was murdered.
Finding himself a broke college student at Michigan State University, Grizzley robbed dormitories, taking over $20,000 worth of electronics and jewelry, before going on the run, where he was eventually caught robbing an electronics store. Grizzley received 9 months for that, and then 18 months to 15 years for the MSU robberies. He was released from prison in 2016.
During his time in prison, he wrote what became a hit single just two weeks after his release, a song entitled First Day Out. This recorded over 3 million streams in the first three weeks after its release. In May of 2018, he released his debut album Activated, which landed at number ten on the Billboard 200. It has been only up from there, with albums Still My Moment and Scriptures hitting top charts as well.
The Motor City rapper climbed from rags to a net worth of 1.5 million as of last year, and he’s innovated by truly reaching the street flow listeners strive for, as well as by building up his reputation through a collaborative guild of heavy hitters, including Chance the Rapper, Lil Pump, Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Royce Da 5’9, T.I. and others. Lyricism and a connection to the streets, as well as flashy graphics and marketing have allowed Tee Grizzley to leap to the front of the pack, fighting for breathing room among artists the likes of Drake and Meek Mill.
His climb from nothing to something, motivated by a desire to be the best version of himself possible, is an inspiration, and a reminder that no matter how hard a venture gets, or how bad a situation is, it is always possible to prevail. You just have to put in the time embrace the grind, and the results will eventually follow. His faith in God led him from living every day doubtful of what the next day holds, to knowing his album Scriptures would be streamed by millions daily. From rock bottom, there is only up.
I have heard of Tee Grizzley before, and I knew he had some what of a hard upbringing, but I had no idea that he had such an incredible story. That is a really inspiring story and I think that it does really show that anyone can make it from rock bottom as long as they trust in the Lord and have a passion and love for what they do. This was an extremely well written and informative blog post, very good job.
I love hearing stories like this. A lot of rappers today come from bad situations and get into crime because it is all they know. The stuff they see around them all the time and the people that surround them are bad influences. Music has been able to give many of them a platform to tell their story while making money for it at the same time. This allows them to get out of their situation and many of them end up giving back to their community. Tee Grizzley’s complete 360 life turnaround is an amazing story and hopefully can inspire future generations.