It's still a little to early to tell, but all signs point to Tee Grizzley's Scriptures being a pivotal moment in the Detroit rapper's career. For one, the project was crafted under the tutelage of the legendary Timbaland, who was initially drawn to Grizzley's honest storytelling. Therefore, it's no surprise that the instrumentation of Tee's latest is a consistent throughline, with Big Timbo coming through to deliver some of his finest beats in years. Yet one of the album's most powerful moments is not directly produced by Tim, but rather Chopsquad DQ, who closes things out with "Young Grizzley World."
As the only song to include guest appearances, it may be tempting to gravitate toward the YNW Melly and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie assisted "Young Grizzley World" on the basis name recognition alone. Yet Grizzley's presence is never lost amidst the shuffle, which finds both featured parties matching his emotional intensity, with the controversial Melly delivering a particularly strong performance. It's Tee, however, who emerges as the assertive presence on this one; not only is it his world, but it's his moment, even more so than ever before.
In truth, there are many highlights across Scriptures, some of which possess a more direct immediacy than this one. But given "Young Grizzley World's" role in closing out Tee's most mature album to date, it's hard to deny the thematic significance of it all. Hats off to Tee Grizzley and Timbaland for coming through with a strong body of work across the board.
Quotable Lyrics
I'm a rap star, I could've been a mental patient
Hit you with the bag, you still ain't paid me
You must want a n***a come and do you like a stranger
I ain't even trippin', money older than a pager
N***s see you shine and forget you really dangerous
They won't let you help 'em
They gon' make you nail 'em
My n****a got life, he call every day
I don't know what to tell him
We gon' get more time than murder, they catch us with this shit