Teezo Touchdown

Did You Know?

• Thomas was born in Beaumont, Texas, to a father who works as a DJ.
• He grew up listening to Judas Priest, Prince, Kraftwerk, and Marvin Gaye.
• He learned to DJ and produce music using his father's equipment.

Career

Thomas began uploading music to YouTube while in high school in Beaumont, Texas, using the names AyeTee, TeeKnow, and later Teezo Suave. His early music videos, filmed at his school, drew little attention, and he produced songs for local rappers. In 2016 he adopted the stage name Teezo Touchdown and began working with the musical collective CVKE Supply, which posted videos for his songs "Professional" and "It Depends" in 2017. Two mixtapes, The Example and Cover Boy, followed in 2018.

In February 2019 he released "100 Drums" with producer Coop, a rap track about gun violence in his hometown that sampled Panic! At The Disco's "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies"; the video gained social media attention and co-signs from Chance The Rapper and Trippie Redd. He and Coop collaborated again on "Slice" in November 2019. In July 2020 Thomas issued three singles—"Strong Friend", "Careful", and "Sucka" featuring Fred Flippstone—each with a self-directed music video.

Later that year he released "Rooting For You", "Bad Enough" featuring Thomas Lopez, and "Social Cues", all with accompanying videos. In February 2021 he put out the single "Technically" and appeared in the video for Fousheé's "Single AF". In June 2021 he featured on Tyler, the Creator's "RunItUp" and released a video titled "Coverboy2", a sequel to his 2018 mixtape that included an interview with Replica Man Magazine; he was styled in Balenciaga for the magazine's cover shoot.

Artistry

Thomas draws influence from 1980s icons and 2010s rappers and R&B singers, including The Smiths, Rick James, Future, Frank Ocean, Lil Jon, and Prince, whom he has described as points of reference. His music blends hip-hop, autotune, radio pop, country music, trap beats, emo-punk, and acoustic arpeggios, and he is known for features that often boost a track's popularity. He has stated that he does not chase a particular sound, instead considering what different genres represent—such as rock's stadium energy, rap's club presence, and pop's chart success—and that rock's intensity and urgency remain in his music even when not guitar-led.

In an Apple Music interview with Zane Lowe, he described his style as a fusion of rock, R&B, and boom bap production, coining the term "Rock & Boom" for a sub-genre that combines R&B toplines with rock intensity and boom bap penmanship, with 808s meant to shake the world. Thomas directs all his own music videos, often filming them in front of a graffiti-covered garage in Beaumont, Texas, which is transformed to suit each video's theme—for example, serving as a backdrop for a boyband of sports mascots in "Rooting For You" and as a football field in "Bad Enough".

His image includes nails in his hair, chain-linked necklaces, and eye-black, and his managerial alter-ego, Eugenius Hanes, wears a ginger wig and cowboy hat. He has modeled for Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Alyx, Moncler, and Telfar.