Teezo Touchdown | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Aaron Lashane Thomas |
Also known as |
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Born | Beaumont, Texas, U.S. | October 31, 1992
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Years active | 2016–present |
Labels | |
Website | teezotouchdownmusic |
Aaron Lashane Thomas (born October 31, 1992), known professionally as Teezo Touchdown, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Beaumont, Texas. [4] He released his debut studio album, How Do You Sleep at Night? , on September 8, 2023. He is widely known for his features on the songs "RunItUp" by Tyler, the Creator, "Modern Jam" by Travis Scott, and "Amen" by Drake. He opened for Tyler, the Creator on his Call Me If You Get Lost Tour in 2022, and opened for Travis Scott during his Circus Maximus Tour the following year.
Thomas was born on October 31, 1992, in Beaumont, Texas, to a father who works as a DJ. [4] He was surrounded by music from multiple genres as a child due to his father's career. As a result, he grew up listening to a wide range of artists such as Judas Priest, Prince, Kraftwerk, and Marvin Gaye. [4] Throughout his youth, he learned to DJ and produce music through using his father's equipment. [1]
While attending high school in Beaumont, Texas, Aaron began uploading music to YouTube under the names AyeTee, TeeKnow, and later Teezo Suave. [5] He filmed early music videos in his high school, which received little attention, and produced songs for rappers in his city. [5]
In 2016, he changed his stage name to Teezo Touchdown. [1] Around this time, he began collaborating with musical collective CVKE Supply, who uploaded the music videos for his songs "Professional" Produced by Sammi Automatic and "It Depends" Produced by Chase Raccs to YouTube in 2017. In 2018, he released two mixtapes on SoundCloud, titled "The Example" and "Cover Boy".[ citation needed ]
In February 2019, he released the song "100 Drums" with producer Coop, which was described by NME as, "[a rap song] about the gun violence in his hometown over Panic! At The Disco’s breakout emo-pop anthem ‘I Write Sins, Not Tragedies’". [4] Pitchfork opined on the song, stating "when will rappers understand that liking one of the most popular songs of the 2000s is not as different as they think?" [6] The video garnered attention on social media and led to co-signs by Chance The Rapper and Trippie Redd. [1] In November 2019, he collaborated with Coop again on the song "Slice". [1]
In July 2020, Thomas released three singles, "Strong Friend", "Careful", and "Sucka" featuring Fred Flippstone. [1] [6] About "Sucka", Pitchfork stated the song lacked "the ear for production, nimble flow switch-ups, or, well, talent." [6] Each song was released with a music video directed by Thomas. In October 2020, he released the singles "Rooting For You" and "Bad Enough" featuring Thomas Lopez with accompanying music videos. [1] In November 2020, he released the single "Social Cues" with an accompanying music video. [1]
In February 2021, he released the single "Technically" with an accompanying music video and made a guest appearance in the music video for Fousheé's song "Single AF". [7] [8] In June 2021, he featured on the song "RunItUp" with Tyler, the Creator, [9] which Pitchfork called "unmemorable". [6] In the same month, he released a series of song covers in a video titled "Coverboy2". [10] The video acted as a sequel to his 2018 mixtape "Cover Boy" and included an interview with Replica Man Magazine. [4] [10] He was styled in Balenciaga for the magazine's cover shoot. [10]
In July 2021, he made an appearance on Kenny Beats' YouTube series "The Cave" and freestyled over an instrumental that the two created together. He also released his single "Mid" and began his "Rid the Mid" campaign on social media in promotion for the single. [6] [11] The campaign consisted of a series of Instagram skits in which he ran for mayor in the fictional city of "Midville" and detailed what he would do if elected. [11] Some of his policies included making it illegal to steal someone else's lighter and making it illegal for one's barber to push back their hairline. [11]
In September 2021, he modeled for Marc Jacobs's Heaven collection and performed his song "I'm Just A Fan" for Moncler and Alyx's Mondo Genius event. [12] [13] In October 2021, he appeared in a commercial for Telfar's "Bag Security Program III".[ citation needed ]
On February 10, 2022, he began touring in the United States with fellow American rappers Tyler, the Creator, Vince Staples, and Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis on the Call Me If You Get Lost Tour, to support the release of Tyler, the Creator's album Call Me If You Get Lost , and also appearing on the song from the album "RunItUp". [9] [14] He also released the single "Handyman" with producer Kenny Beats. [15] On March 6, 2021, his web series Watch Your Step premiered on Telfar TV, an online streaming platform created by American fashion label Telfar. [16] The series is composed of sketch comedy shorts that promote Telfar products.
In January 2023, he was a non-credited feature on Lil Yachty's Let's Start Here track, "The Ride". [17]
In July 2023, he was featured on Travis Scott's fourth album, Utopia . He appeared on track three, titled "Modern Jam". He, alongside many of the album's guest artists, was also featured in Scott's debut film, Circus Maximus, in which this song was played during several different scenes.
On September 8, 2023, he released his debut album, How Do You Sleep at Night? , with guest appearances from Janelle Monáe, Fousheé, and Isaiah Rusk. [18]
In October 2023, Teezo Touchdown was featured on Drake's album For All the Dogs on the tracks "Amen", "7969 Santa", and "BBL Love (Interlude)", though he only received a feature credit on the former.
Thomas is influenced by '80s icons Rick James and Prince; as he told Pigeon and Planes, “What those artists are to me is a point of reference.” [5]
Thomas' music pulls influences from a variety of genres. Dazed has described Thomas as, "...a delightfully weird, genre-defying enigma who, without breaking a sweat, combines hip-hop, autotune, radio pop, country music, trap beats, emo-punk, acoustic arpeggios and whatever else is in his brain into infectious, digestible three-minute earworms." [19] Thomas is now known for his prolific features, commonly greatly boosting the popularity of a track. [20]
About his musical style, Thomas said, “I’m never chasing a sound because that would just be satire. Rather than trying to copy a sound, I look at what all this music represents: Why is rock tearing through these stadiums; how is rap tearing up the club; how is pop tearing up the charts? I’m still figuring all that out, but the energy of rock is always going to be in my music; it might not be guitar-led, but the intensity and urgency of rock will be there.” [4]
In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, Thomas described his style as a fusion of rock, R&B and Boom bap production he designated as "Rock & Boom", a derivative sub-genre of all three. "...the sound that I'm crafting that's called Rock & Boom. It's R&B with the intensity of rock, it has R&B toplines. The boom of course for boom bap, it's the boom bap penmanship. It's also the boom because the 808s is gonna shake the world." [21]
Thomas directs all of his own videos, which are usually accompanied by promotional comedy skits and expansive promo campaigns, such as "Rid The Mid". [11] He films most of his music videos and skits in front of a graffiti-covered garage in his home of Beaumont, Texas. [5] [6] The garage is continuously transformed based on the theming of the video; as Complex wrote, "In 'Rooting For You,' it’s the backdrop for a boyband of sports mascots. Meanwhile in 'Bad Enough', the garage is transformed into a football field complete with astroturf, bleachers, and a cheer squad." [5] Pitchfork wrote, "Teezo has stirred more social media chatter for the six inch nails stuck in his hair, or the black mesh tops and leather pants that make him look like he’s in a parody of an ’80s hair metal video, than he has for any song." [6]
Our Generation Music wrote that Thomas' image consists of, "nails in his hair, chain-linked necklaces, and eye-black fit for the football field". [22] His managerial alter-ego, named Eugenius Hanes, wears a ginger wig and a cowboy hat. [23] He is involved in high fashion, having previously modeled for Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Alyx, Moncler, and Telfar. [12] [13] [16]
Title | Album details |
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How Do You Sleep at Night? |
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Title | Mixtape details |
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The Example |
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Cover Boy |
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Title | Year | Album(s) |
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"Slice" | 2019 | Non-album singles |
"Strong Friend" | 2020 | |
"Careful" | ||
"Sucka" (featuring Fred Flippstone) | ||
"Rooting for You" | ||
"Bad Enough" (featuring Thomas Lopez) | ||
"Social Cues" | ||
"Technically" | 2021 | |
"Mid" | ||
"I'm Just a Fan" | ||
"Handyman" (featuring Kenny Beats) | 2022 | |
"Familiarity" | 2023 | How Do You Sleep at Night? |
"5 O'Clock" | Non-album singles | |
"Rock Paper Strippers" | ||
"You Thought" (featuring Janelle Monáe) | How Do You Sleep at Night? |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [24] | US R&B/HH [25] | US Rap [26] | AUS [27] | CAN [28] | FRA [29] | NZ [30] | SWE Heat. [31] | UK Stream. [32] | WW [33] | ||||
"RunItUp" (Tyler, the Creator featuring Teezo Touchdown) | 2021 | 68 | 32 | — | 92 | 70 | — | — | — | — | 77 | Call Me If You Get Lost | |
"The Ride" (Lil Yachty featuring Teezo Touchdown) | 2023 | — [upper-alpha 1] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Let's Start Here | |
"Modern Jam" (Travis Scott featuring Teezo Touchdown) | 23 | 13 | 12 | 27 | 23 | 33 | 23 | 3 | 50 | 18 | Utopia | ||
"Amen" (Drake featuring Teezo Touchdown) | 15 | 11 | 9 | 24 | 17 | 80 | 32 | 8 | 30 | 18 | For All the Dogs | ||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"RunItUp" | 2021 | Tyler, the Creator | Call Me If You Get Lost |
"Can't Get Over You" | 2022 | Westside Boogie, Smino | More Black Superheroes |
"Messy" | Rico Nasty, Bktherula | Las Ruinas | |
"Roses" | See You Next Year | Pigeons & Planes & Big.Ass.Kids present: See You Next Year | |
"The Ride" | 2023 | Lil Yachty | Let's Start Here |
"Luckily I'm Having" | Don Toliver | Love Sick (Deluxe) | |
"Modern Jam" | Travis Scott | Utopia | |
"Redlight" | Between Friends | I Love My Girl, She's My Boy | |
"Amen" | Drake | For All the Dogs | |
"7969 Santa" | |||
"First Night" | 2024 | Lyrical Lemonade, Juicy J, Cochise, Denzel Curry, Lil B | All Is Yellow |
"Hummingbird" | Lyrical Lemonade, Umi, SahBabii | ||
"MASC" | Doja Cat | Scarlet 2 CLAUDE |
This is the discography of Tyler, the Creator, an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer and the former leader of the Los Angeles hip hop collective Odd Future. His discography consists of one mixtape, six studio albums, one EP, and thirty-two singles.
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"Amen" is a song by American rapper Meek Mill from his debut studio album, Dreams and Nightmares (2012). Featuring Canadian rapper Drake, the song includes background vocals from Jeremih. It was produced by Key Wane and Jahlil Beats, with the first serving as a songwriter alongside the vocalists. Due to the interpolation of the Doobie Brothers' "Minute by Minute", written by Lester Abrams and Michael McDonald, they also received songwriting credits. The song was thought of by Key Wane in New York's Times Square, after he prayed when experiencing failure. On June 19, 2012, it was released for digital download and streaming as the album's lead single by Maybach Music Group and Warner Bros. Records. At the time of release, Philadelphia reverend Jomo K. Johnson encouraged boycotting the song over alleged usage of the church for sinful activities, leading to the two debating publicly on Hot 107.9. Mill eventually apologized for any offense and Johnson called off the boycott, forgiving him. A hip hop number with pop and R&B elements, the song relies on a gospel beat, with lyrics focused on sexual exploitation and wealth.
"Antidote" is a song by American rapper and singer Travis Scott. It was released on July 28, 2015, as the second single from his debut studio album, Rodeo (2015). Produced by WondaGurl and Eestbound, the song peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. "Antidote" has since been certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
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Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, known professionally as 21 Savage, is a British rapper currently based in the United States. Born in London and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, he began his recording career in 2013 and released three independent mixtapes to regional acclaim. His breakout project—the collaborative extended play (EP) with record producer Metro Boomin titled Savage Mode (2016)—peaked at number 23 on the Billboard 200. Its lead singles, "X" and "No Heart" both peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, he saw further recognition for his guest appearance on Drake's single "Sneakin'". He then signed a recording contract with Epic Records in January 2017.
Alvin Lamar Worthy, known professionally as Westside Gunn, is an American rapper. He is a co-founder of independent hip-hop label Griselda Records. He is the paternal half-brother of rapper Conway the Machine and cousin of rapper Benny the Butcher, both of whom he frequently collaborates with. Westside Gunn has released five studio albums in addition to an extensive catalog of mixtapes. Gunn was affiliated with Shady Records from 2017 to 2020, but has since returned to independent status.
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"Out West" is a song released by American record label Cactus Jack Records, known as JackBoys, performed by leader American rapper Travis Scott featuring fellow American rapper Young Thug. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on February 18, 2020, as the third single from the compilation album, JackBoys (2019), by the lead artists. In late December 2019, shortly after the release of JackBoys, TikTok star Nicole Bloomgarden created the "Out West Challenge" and the dance challenge went viral on TikTok in February 2020.
Utopia is the fourth studio album by American rapper Travis Scott. It was released through Cactus Jack and Epic Records on July 28, 2023. The album features guest appearances from Teezo Touchdown, Drake, Playboi Carti, Beyoncé, Rob49, 21 Savage, the Weeknd, Swae Lee, Yung Lean, Dave Chappelle, Young Thug, Westside Gunn, Kid Cudi, Bad Bunny, SZA, Future, and James Blake. Physical releases of the album feature additional guest appearances from Lil Uzi Vert and Sheck Wes. Production was handled by a variety of record producers, including Scott and Blake themselves, WondaGurl, Ye, Allen Ritter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Wheezy, Buddy Ross, Vegyn, 30 Roc, Jahaan Sweet, Boi-1da, Vinylz, Tay Keith, Bnyx, Oz, Justin Vernon, the Alchemist, Dom Maker, Illangelo, DVLP, and Metro Boomin, among others. The album serves as the follow-up to Scott's third studio album, Astroworld (2018), as well as JackBoys (2019), his compilation album that was released in collaboration with Cactus Jack. It is a concept record that was accompanied by a film titled Circus Maximus which was released the day before the album.
"Lumberjack" is a song by American rapper and record producer Tyler, the Creator, released on June 16, 2021, as the lead single from his sixth studio album, Call Me If You Get Lost. The song samples the Gravediggaz track "2 Cups of Blood".
Call Me If You Get Lost is the sixth studio album by American rapper and record producer Tyler, the Creator. The album was released on June 25, 2021, through Columbia Records. The album is narrated by DJ Drama and features guest appearances from 42 Dugg, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, Domo Genesis, Brent Faiyaz, Lil Uzi Vert, Pharrell Williams, Teezo Touchdown, Fana Hues and Daisy World. Tyler produced the album himself, with additional production contributed by Jamie xx and Jay Versace.
"Hold That Heat" is a song by American record producer Southside and American rapper Future featuring fellow American rapper Travis Scott. It was released on April 22, 2022 with an accompanying music video. The song was written by the artists alongside Mike Dean, who produced it with Southside.
"Never Sleep" is a song by Canadian rapper Nav and American rapper Lil Baby featuring fellow American rapper Travis Scott, released on July 29, 2022 as the lead single on the former's fourth studio album, Demons Protected by Angels. The song was written by the artists alongside producers Tay Keith, Grayson, and Mike Dean.
"Modern Jam" is a song by American rapper Travis Scott featuring fellow American rapper Teezo Touchdown from the former's fourth studio album Utopia (2023). The song was produced by Scott and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, with additional production from Jahaan Sweet and Mike Dean.
"Amen" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake featuring American musician Teezo Touchdown, from the former's eighth studio album For All the Dogs (2023). It was produced by Sango, Budgie and Teezo Touchdown.