Teezo Touchdown, long cited as a name to watch, finally arrived in full fashion last year, his name materializing on some of the biggest albums from some of the biggest names. Here’s everything you need to know about one of the hottest names in hip-hop in 2023.
Though active in local music scenes since high school, those early moves largely found Touchdown trying to hone in on a signature sound. The first single that helped him flirt with “out-of-the-underground” status was the 2019 single “100 Drums,” a blending of 2000s pop-rock and true rapping over top. The mixed bag of styles was a welcome introduction to an industry that was at that point flirting with the same mishmash of genres (Juice WRLD, Machine Gun Kelly).
The Start of Industry Acceptance for Teezo Touchdown
By 2021, that industry was beginning to take notes in a material way. That began with an appearance on Tyler, the Creator’s “Run It Up,” his first major co-sign, or at least the biggest to that point. Shortly after, he appeared on Kenny Beats’ “The Cave” series, a YouTube show centered around freestyle studio sessions with close friends of the LA producer.
In that short, his multi-talented nature was on full display—rapping, singing and helping Kenny produce the underlying instrumental. At the same time, as things were picking up on the music side, the same was happening in Teezo Touchdown’s endeavors. In 2021, he modeled for all manners of fashion imprints, from Balenciaga to Moncler, from Telfar to Marc Jacobs.
Lil Yachty, Drake & Travis Scott Enlist The Multi-Talent
Despite the promise showed off in those career beginnings, 2023 was truly a banner year for the Philadelphia product. He began with a feature on Lil Yachty’s psychedelic LP, Let’s Start Here, providing vocals on what became a fan favorite track, “The Ride.” Among a dizzying and hypnotic project, the song stood out as one of the most well-conceived and executed. Though Yachty’s fifth album was markedly a departure from his style, the rock influence found Teezo Touchdown right at home.
From there, his name cropped up in the credits for Travis Scott’s Utopia on the song “Modern Jam.” Here, Travis’ efforts were certainly valiant, but Teezo easily stole the show with a rock opera vocal performance that matched the grandiose, operatic theme of the LP. Rounding out that star-making stretch of features was “Amen” on Drake’s For All The Dogs. If Touchdown’s skill at changing shape wasn’t already apparent, his feature on Drizzy’s track should be full confirmation. Asked to reach into a soulful, choir aspect of his voice, he again was up to the challenge, to deliver a refrain of “Prayin’, prayin’ / pray again, pray again / Prayin’ til you find a man.”
Teezo Touchdown: 2024 and Beyond
Even stretching into the start of this year, Teezo is still on tap for plenty of songs. Putting the finishing touches on a huge 365, he cropped up for multiple appearances on Lyrical Lemonade’s debut, All Is Yellow, sliding alongside the likes of Juicy J, Cochise, Denzel Curry, Lil B, Umi and SahBabii as he added to one of the biggest and best Rolodexes in current music.
While features and guest appearances make up the bulk of the Teezo Touchdown story to his point, it wouldn’t be complete without Touchdown on his debut album, How Do You Sleep at Night? Though critical reception was mixed on the first true endeavor where the Philly singer stepped into the forefront, it certainly charted forward and established precedence for even more genres for him to explore in his future endeavors.
As previously stated, it doesn’t seem like Teezo Touchdown’s status as the hip-hop feature de jour is slowing down any time soon, beginning to creep into 2024 as well. His back catalog is filled with a ton of material to help you explore the depths of his talent, all of which you can find on streaming platforms.
