It’s hard to think of an artist with a bigger ascension in 2023 than Teezo Touchdown.

The Beaumont, Texas native dabbles in just about everything creative and expression are key to his appeal; moreover, it’s been his secret sauce in building not only a large fanbase quickly but one that is extremely loyal.

Some of that comes from his outer appeal. The half-rapper-half rocker often dons his trademark shoulder pads and metal nails covering much of his upper body, including the meticulous weaving of individual ones within his hair and throughout his outfit. The crossroads of Teezo’s engagement with fans comes with his ability to be eclectic and enigmatic, which often comes out in his music.

In early September, Teezo Touchdown released his debut album, How Do You Sleep At Night?, which is a smorgasbord of sounds, ideas, and feelings the multifaceted artist presents in a rather cohesive fashion. This includes the standout Janelle Monáe-featured “You Thought,” which addresses how people involved in Teezo’s life see him from his perspective and later portrays an unhealthy relationship where Teezo is unable to reflect on his shortcomings.

“I always say that How Do You Sleep At Night? was supposed to be a conversation starter, an icebreaker to a very long relationship,” he told BET during a recent interview. “And I can definitely say that that conversation is starting around Teezo Touchdown, so the more people who listen to it and have an opinion and want to share it, I think it's the best thing that I could ask for.”

Initially, the album was even more diverse than the finished product fans now have; however, after a couple of singles were met with a lukewarm reception from his usually extremely engaged fanbase, Teezo went back to the whiteboard – almost as if it were halftime of a statement football game.

The mystifying nature that is now Teezo Touchdown came from his roots in Texas. Aaron Lashane Thomas began making music in middle school and was inspired by his father’s DJing career and the eclectic mix of music he would play. Fast forward to 2019, he went super viral after rapping about gun violence over Panic! at the Disco’s anthem “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” via his song "100 Drums," which inspired him to continue down the road of merging hip-hop and rock.

Teezo’s creativity and artistry have also been in high demand from some of the biggest names in music, particularly in hip-hop, as he was featured on Drake’s song “Amen” from his newly-released LP For All The Dogs and Travis Scott’s “MODERN JAM” via July’s UTOPIA. It’s something he calls “high-level collaboration” and encouragement for his path moving forward.

Perhaps one of Teezo’s biggest co-signs by an artist doesn’t have to do with collaboration but rather admiration. During a GQ from last month, in support of his new and debut solo album New Blue Sun, André 3000 noted that he sees his influence in many of the newer crop of artists out, including the Beaumont native.

“I love the spirit, I’m happy people caught on in the spirit part,” said 3 Stacks during the interview. “You see Tyler [The Creator] and them, you see like Teezo Touchdown and those guys and you’re like [*gasp of relief*]. The coolest thing is it’s not like a signing, it’s not a copying, it’s a lineage. These people have their own thing.”

In response to the praise, Teezo says that not only is he honored by the mention, but he also pointed out how interesting it was to hear from André during this period of his life and creative space.

“To hear that André was one of those ones that have seen what I'm doing, I'm always honored and thankful that people are discovering this,” he explains. “I love the interview. I love how present he is and just how honest he is about where he is with his life. It's another reason why I love journalism, because yes, we do express ourselves in art but sometimes it's cool to just hear it come from the artists. Along with that love that he showed, me it was cool to hear how he’s also thinking at this point and his life after a long and illustrious career.”

That love of the interview comes from Teezo’s appreciation for journalism overall. Rather than scoff at and mosey his way through the interviews he’s in high demand to participate in, he sees it as an opportunity to relay his thoughts in a sort of time-stamped manner in which he can look back and appreciate where his mind space was when he provided answers to certain questions.

“It's for research purposes. Even now I feel when I'm looking for information on how to do what I'm doing right now, at the highest level or the best level, I go read interviews or autobiographies,” he explains. “So like the better the notes that are taken in interviews and the coverage of said time or said artists is better for me to study so I just conduct those with the same amount of love knowing that someone else is probably going to be searching or just wants to know more about me.”

Teezo collaborated with many brands in 2023, including his most recent venture with Grand Marnier and luxury gifting company UNWRP for their Grand Encounter initiative celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. A former bartender, Touchdown says the partnership fits like a glove and is perfect, considering it honors half a century of the culture he fell in love with.

“It's so cool to be a part of this hip-hop thing and to do partnerships like this with hip-hop being at the forefront of it,” he notes. “So it's about me to just hold the integrity of this art style – and not only for the art style, but for myself.”

Heading into 2024, Teezo Touchdown is prepared for his biggest year yet. For him, everything is deliberate – from his art, music, and just about everything he puts out into the world. It’s what’s got him this far and what he hopes will continue to make him the enigmatic figure he is today.

“it's repetition right now, it's not a routine,” he explains. “I would see things that I would keep doing intentionally, but now you're going to see a more focused and dialed-in attention to intentionality. It’s not sloppy or anything but I think now intentionality is one of the points that I'm studying now.”