A3C 2015 Official Line-Up

South Florida, known for its warm climate and beautiful people, is also home to a number of influential genres of music that have birthed talented artists. Music powerhouses like Rick Ross, Trick Daddy and 2 Live Crew all saw their start in the south Florida area before taking the rest of the world by storm. Now, with the support of former NFL player Asante Samuel, 19-year-old TeeJay is ready to try his hand at the rap scene and he is off to a promising start. Hailing from Coral Springs, FL, the recent high school graduate has only been rapping for about eight months but has already seen a wave of success with his hit “Paper Soldiers”, which already has over 100,000 plays on SoundCloud. The song features some electronic, heavy bass that is typical of south Florida music and will have you singing the catchy lyrics under your breath and bobbing your head during your first listen – which is not surprising considering TeeJay’s inspiration include artists like Drake and Chris Brown. “I’m just trying to empower my generation and give my audience what they want to hear,” the young artist said. “My style and attitude separates me from my competition so my main goal is to focus on elevating my music.” The confidence that TeeJay possesses is a result of not only his unique talent but also the supportive family he comes from. Though his home life was less than traditional, the teen always had the loyalty of his siblings, “I have four brothers and sisters,” he said. “My parents were separated so I stayed with one of my brothers and one of my sisters when I was in high school in Pompano and focused on football before I started rapping.” Once he decided to try his hand at rapping, TeeJay’s focus quickly shifted and he notes one of his most memorable moments - his first show. “It was amazing; I knew that this was something that I could do for real.” Record labels play an important part in the success and prosperity of artists, which is why TeeJay has decided to sign with former NFL player Asante Samuel’s new label, Eighties Nation. Launched in June, Eighties Nation was created with the inspiration of formerly independent label, Cash Money, and is about leadership and motivation for young people – which is why TeeJay is such a good fit. The south Florida music scene is a tough one. The amount of talent that has already come out of the area is inspiring and aspiring artists use this as fuel to the fire that they spit, knowing that the competition is tough. TeeJay chooses not to think about this competition and instead focuses on future plans and setting a foundation for himself, “My main goal right now is just to elevate my music and make people hear me and my sounds. I’m only eight months in so I have to focus on that first.” Nonetheless, the young aspiring star is looking to Samuel for inspiration as he hopes to someday own his own label. TeeJay is talented, young, unique, and driven. He’s excited to see where his talent will take him and can only hope that south Florida and the rest of the world is ready for what he has in store.