7.19.2024
Video: 1Up Tee – “Zoned Out”
The Detroit Rapper Lays His Cards On The Table On Newest Single And Accompanying Video For “Zoned Out”
Critical Praise:
“As the public only becomes more (rightfully) skeptical of media and celebrity, there’s constant demand for artists who keep it real. Enter 1Up Tee: A fresh-faced Detroit rapper currently blowing up off a string of concept singles that get at the contradictions and unrealistic expectations of a social media-enabled society.” – Pitchfork
“1Up Tee is really a sociologist at heart. Dissecting what’s going on around him, with a scientific level of curiosity and precision, gives his music a really vibrant honesty.” – Passion of the Weiss
The Video:
1Up Tee is the kind of rapper that walks his talk. In his newest single, “Zoned Out,” the westside Detroit native gives listeners a glimpse into his past and shows his haters how far he’s come in the rap game. From juggling big dreams to juggling racks and countless lovers, bars like “I can’t go back to being sad an exhausted,” and “I was that kid that never talked, look how I turned out,”demonstrate Tee’s determination to make it to the top. In the single’s accompanying video, Tee puts his swag on full display as he spits his licks surrounded by expensive merchandise and large bags of za. Sandwiched between the head bobbing beat (produced by ENRGY) and raunchy lyrics, Tee touches on lessons he’s learned along the way and his adaptability: “could have never played the game because my heart was in it, now when people do me wrong s**t, I hardly feel it,” “all this s**t that n****s said that they can’t do, I’ll do it.” Needless to say 1Up Tee isn’t giving up on himself or letting anything stop him from following in the footsteps of local legends before him.
A Smoker’s Club Records release, “Zoned Out” is the latest step in 1Up Tee’s impressive rise over the last few months and follows recent singles “Click,” a collaboration with rising artist Star Bandz, “Butt Naked”, “Young N***s,” featuring a video by No More Heroes, and “Accountability Pt. 2,” the sequel to his breakout hit, which inspired a memorable, ASL-interpreted From The Blockperformance.
Inspired by local rappers Babyface Ray and Payroll Giovanni, Tee started rapping when he was a teenager, writing about the things he observed in his hometown, and eventually teaming up with close friend D Hen 1UP to release the mixtape Y.N.A. in 2022. 1Up Tee capitalized on his hometown momentum with the single “Accountability,” released in 2022, framed as a conversation between two sides of himself–one side lamenting his lack of success so far, and the other side telling him to shape up and get to work. Late last year, Tee’s profile began to cross out of the Great Lakes region and make waves nationwide: the catalyst was “Good Karma (Freestyle),” an examination about why bad things happen to real ones, which became a viral On The Radar performance and generated over 4 million on-demand streams. He kept the karma going with January’s “Lose Lose,” which earned attention from Pitchfork, racking up over 1.8 million streams in its first six weeks. His recent inclusion on Spotify’s Fresh Finds Hip Hop playlist and a significant uptick in TikTok followers highlight his growing influence.
With influential tastemakers like Pitchfork, On The Radar, and Spotify’s Fresh Finds in his corner, along with strong co-signs from from Meek Mill, athletes like Damian Lillard and Marshawn Lynch, and fellow Detroiters including Babyface Ray, Dej Loaf, and BabyTron, 1Up Tee is ready to become the next rapper from the Motor City to become a breakout star. Stay tuned for much more.
Watch “Zoned Out”: https://youtu.be/JELmihpHNE0
Stream “Zoned Out”: https://1uptee.ffm.to/zonedout
Please contact Michelle or Annjie for more info.
Links:
instagram | spotify | youtube | tiktok
“Zoned Out”: https://youtu.be/JELmihpHNE0
“Accountability Pt. 2”: https://1uptee.ffm.to/accountabilitypt2 / https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IQPSs5KqiM&feature=youtu.be
“Lose Lose”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF6Nv6wWJXI
“Good Karma” (On The Radar Freestyle): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raFDa31IO7k
“Good Karma”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqo4EfTA-sA
“Accountability”: https://youtu.be/XiU4RGapq6s?si=p5P-DwuVCxI5KLv7