Tee Grizzley Wanted J. Cole to Join Him on ‘Grand Theft Auto’ But They Linked Up for ‘Blow for Blow’ Instead

Tee Grizzley’s relentless work ethic has led him to releasing at least one project every year of his career since first exploding onto the scene with his classic “First Day Out” single in late 2016.

The Detroit resident checked off 2024’s box on Friday (Oct. 4) when Post Traumatic arrived 11 months after his last album, Tee’s Coney Island.

When Tee and his team were in the process of whittling down the 40 to 50 tracks he recorded for this LP, he noticed something consistently peering through from his lyrics — his pain. That’s what led Grizzley to titling his fifth studio album Post Traumatic.

“I feel like this is my best work,” he confidently declares over a Zoom call to Billboard. “After they hear this, they not gonna want to hear nothing else from nobody.”

It’s fitting that Tee is cathartically letting go of the decades of pain and trauma endured throughout his life, as he recently had surgery on his middle finger to remove part of a bullet fragment lodged into his hand since he was 14 years old.

Grizzley followed up his “Swear to God” collaboration with Future by grabbing another rap A-lister to spar with in J. Cole. What started out as a friendship where Tee wanted to have the Dreamville boss join him to play in his GrizzleyWorld RP on Grand Theft Auto, ended up in the thumping back-and-forth of “Blow for Blow.”

Earlier this year, Cole essentially executive-produced the track, when finding the eerie Pi’erre Bourne beat and ripping it before sending the track over to Tee. “When I heard it, I was blown away by his verse. Like, ‘I can’t half-step on here,'” Grizzley describes his reaction of listening to “Blow for Blow” for the first time.

Give the rest of our interview with Tee Grizzley a read as he details the oral history of teaming up with J. Cole, working with Kanye West in Mexico and what’s on tap for GTA 6.

What happened to your middle finger?

I was playing with a gun a long time ago when I was 14. It had went off and I had a piece of fragment in my finger. It been there this whole time and I finally got it removed. 

Post Traumatic — what led to this project coming about?

You know I’m always working in the studio. Just trying to perfect my craft. A lot of the songs I realized I heard a lot of my pain in it when I was coming up with the album title. I come up with the album title after I make the songs. I was listening back like, “I been through some s–t.” I was in Detroit most of the time. I recorded a couple songs in L.A. I just want my core to be super happy with this work and I want to gain some new fans. 

Have you noticed a difference creatively since trying ayahuasca?

Nah, I don’t really feel like ayahuasca helped me with my creative. I feel like ayahuasca helped me with life in general. It was deeper than being more creative. It was a life help. 

I feel like that could go hand-in-hand.

For some people — but for me, it showed me what life was and how life works. It ain’t gonna write the music for me.  

“Blow for Blow,” how was linking up with J. Cole? Tell that story for us. 

I was trying to come up with the perfect song to do with Cole. I don’t want to just put Cole on any song. He helped me with that process like, “I already know what we should do. I got the perfect one for us.” When I heard it, I was blown away by his verse. Like I can’t half-step on here. Usually I go to the studio and go with the flow a little bit. This one I had to sit with it and really figure out what I want to say on here. Ain’t no matching Cole. He gave his sharp pen and I had to get my sharp pen for my world. 

Did you talk to Pi’erre Bourne? He was surprised when the track dropped [as the producer].

I never kicked it with Pi’erre before. That was all Cole’s doing. [The track] was sent back-and-forth. [Cole and I] talked a lot so it was like we was in the studio together. 

What was the origin of your friendship with Cole?

Probably like a year. The way we connected it wasn’t even about music. I’m really trying to get bro on GTA. I’m trying to get J. Cole on GTA and we’re kicking it about the game and chopping it up about real life. I told him about my experience with ayahuasca and stuff like that. To have a friendship like that, I just decided to take advantage of that. I let him know I needed him. Even if he would’ve said no, nothing would’ve changed about our friendship. I still would’ve f–ked with him. I know he in the middle of working on The Fall Off. I would’ve understood. But bro made it happen for me. I wanna say this was March or April. 

You reconnected with Mariah the Scientist for “Situationship.” You guys seem to have a good chemistry coming off “IDGAF” with Chris Brown, which hit the Billboard Hot 100 for her first entry. 

I feel like the chemistry is there. I think I work well with female R&B artists. They bring a different type of soul to music. They melodies and voices and my verses — it just pairs very well. 

Anything you wanted to do with the album that didn’t make the cut?

I did so much recording, and when we narrowed everything down, the best music was chosen. The way I usually do it — I make songs with a purpose. By the time I get to 15 or 16 songs, I’m confident in all of them. But this time, I recorded a bunch of music. Me and my time listened to all of it and chose the best 24. It was like 40 or 50 songs. 

What else you got coming up the rest of the year?

I feel like this album gonna be in rotation for the rest of the year, and next year we got a tour coming. I feel like this is my best work. After they hear this, they not gonna want to hear nothing else from nobody.

There’s this leaked song with Kanye I think was supposed to be on either Yandhi or Jesus Is King called “Survive.” What’s the history of that? How was working with Ye? It’s a dope record. I wish people heard it. 

When YNW Melly was out — free Melly — he had pulled up on Kanye. Melly had called me up when he was working on a mixtape at the time. He didn’t even ask Kanye if it was cool, he was just like, “Pull up.” I pull up, and Kanye was like, “I rock with you too. I want to do some work with you.” That turned into me going out to Mexico, and Kanye was out there and we started working and vibing. It was a super dope experience. 

Touch on the gaming space, as far as what’s ahead and how lucrative it’s been for you.

It’s so much deeper than the money. I enjoy doing it. Before I was a rapper, I was a gamer. I grew up on it. It’s definitely lucrative if done right. In a sense that you gotta stream and repurpose your content. 

What do you think about GTA 6 potentially coming out next year? Has Rockstar tapped in with you?

Yeah, I definitely developed a relationship with Rockstar throughout this GTA thing. I think GTA 6 is coming next year for sure. I’m super excited to play. I would like to see servers based off of GTA 6. I definitely hope that role play is incorporated into it somehow. 

Have GTA and Rockstar embraced RPs? 

They have. FiveM is the host for all the role play servers and Rockstar bought FiveM. Rockstar has a FiveM team that’s heavily involved with the role play community. [I’m taking off] three weeks. 

What’s your favorite GTA of all-time?

I like Grand Theft Auto III. That’s the one I played the most. That was a game you actually rode around shooting people. San Andreas is a classic for sure. What made me fall in love with it was Grand Theft Auto III. 

Do you have any community service coming up?

I’m going to the jails and the juveniles. Not only giving back, but talking to the people and younger generation. Trying to give them some game, and shine some light on the fact that it ain’t over for you.