This past weekend, Beaumont, Texas, native Teezo Touchdown released his debut album How Do You Sleep At Night?, which included elements of R&B, rap, pop, punk, rock, and more. Upon its release, many in the hip-hop community, and the music community as a whole, showered praises upon Teezo, who had only put out a handful of singles and guest appearances up to this point.
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So, this begs the question, how has Teezo been able to garner this much respect from the industry’s biggest names? Well, instead us of giving you our opinion, as we already did in our review of the album, we’ll let those co-signing Teezo tell you themselves.
Tyler, The Creator
Teezo’s first feature verse for a mainstream rapper came in 2021 when he landed on “RUNITUP,” the eighth song from Tyler, The Creator’s June 2021 Grammy-winning album Call Me If You Get Lost. When doing an interview with Ebro Darden in the weeks following the arrival of his aforementioned project, Tyler took the time to uplift Teezo, highlighting his unorthodox artistry.
“Teezo Touchdown, if you’re not familiar with him, that kid’s an alien,” Tyler said. “In the best way possible, it’s weird, in a good way, but it’s accessible. Check him out.”
Then, when promoting How Do You Sleep At Night? days before it was set to release, Teezo visited Apple Music’s Zane Lowe for an interview. There, he spoke about the advice Tyler gave him when it came to performing, as he served as an opener during the Call Me If You Get Lost Tour.
“‘People are gonna just be standing there, but don’t take it the wrong way,'” Teezo recalled that Tyler told him before one of his sets on tour. “‘They’re just processing you.'”
Drake
Drake first acknowledged Teezo earlier this summer on August 15 in Inglewood, California. On top of letting Teezo walk to the stage with him for his It’s All A Blur Tour stop at SoFi Stadium, Drake also got the chance to hear the singer-rapper’s at-the-time upcoming album weeks before its arrival. Suffice to say, he loved it.
“Usually it’s a cutthroat cryptic caption for the ones that turned on the gang members but tonight I just heard some of the best music ever so I am happy and I will spare you little birdies thanks to @teezotouchdown,” the Toronto icon wrote in the caption of an Instagram post that included photos of him and Teezo.
Then, when the LP finally dropped last Friday (September 8), Drake took the opportunity to promote it again, uploading an Instagram story with the caption: “One of the best collections of music I have heard in all my years of doing this.”
[RELATED: Review: ‘How Do You Sleep At Night?’ Sees Teezo Touchdown Turn Restlessness to Gold]
Janelle Monáe
The second promotional single Teezo used for How Do You Sleep At Night? was the second song on the track list, “You Thought,” featuring Janelle Monáe. Released on August 31, a week before the album came out, “You Thought” sees Monaé’s I thought we were better vocals sprinkled throughout the track, adding an element of elegance and melody.
When Teezo first teased the song, though, uploading a clip from the still-unreleased music video to Instagram, Monáe praised the 30-year-old newbie’s acting in the comments, writing: “The ‘weeeeee weeee’ hand movement should be nominated for an Oscar.”
Additionally, hours before the full release of How Do You Sleep At Night?, Monáe made an Instagram post of her own promoting the record, thanking Teezo for including her in its creation.
“I heard @teezotouchdown ‘s debut album first. And i think It’s very special,” she wrote. “You nailed it teez. I’m so honored to be apart. f.a.m. go support ‘how do you sleep at night?’ out at midnight!”
Travis Scott
Before sharing Teezo’s album on his Instagram story this past weekend, Travis Scott enlisted the help of his fellow Texan for his own recent album in July. Placing their collaboration “Modern Jam” at third on the Utopia track list, Scott was able to introduce Teezo to an even broader audience, while also continuing to deliver avant-garde sonics to the trap-rap landscape.
Jack Harlow
Though it doesn’t appear like they’ve crossed paths before, Jack Harlow was still impressed enough by How Do You Sleep At Night? to go out of his way to compliment Teezo. Posting an Instagram story shortly after the LP arrived, Harlow thanked Teezo for his boundary-pushing project.
“Thank you Teezo Touchdown… Thank you for being conceptual, and simple, and infectious. Thank you for something new,” Harlow wrote.
Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images
