Antione Donta Turner, better known by his stage name Teezy was born June 7, 1983 in San Leandro California. Though the younger years of his life Teezy moved all over the bay area, but spent the majority of his childhood growing up in East Oakland California. At an early age he developed a love and true passion for music, specifically hip hop. His older brother Patrick Turner was a local DJ, so at a young age Teezy was around artist like Too Short, Richie Rich, Dangerous Dame, The Gov, and Ant Banks just to name a few. He began writing and rapping at age of 13. Rapping came natural to Teezy, plus he had a lot to say. He loved rapping more than anything he had ever done before, but rapping wasn't putting money in his pocket so he turned to the streets for some fast cash. To make ends meet he started selling weed, crack cocaine and committing robberies.
Teezy finally began putting his raw talent to use in 2004 when he began recording with his closest friends. Together they formed the rap group Dis-o-Bay, originally consisting of Teezy, Sane, Jizzle, Stoopidmann, LP, T-Money, and Diezal Don. Dis-o-Bay quickly developed a solid fan base, but unfortunately in June of 2007 after releasing only one mix tape, Teezy, Jizzle, Sane and Stoopidmann got caught up with the law and were facing a bank robbery charge. Teezy was arrested one early morning in September 2007 when the police showed up on his doorstep with search and arrest warrants. His family bailed him out of jail just four days later, after which he spent almost three years fighting his case. During these three years Teezy released multiple mixtapes and was pushing his music to the best of his ability.
He caught a break in early 2010 when he found out he would only be sentenced to 1 year in the county jail for his part in the bank robbery. Although this 1 year sentence was not ideal, he knew the outcome could have been a lot worse. While serving his time at Santa Rita Jail he spent most of his time writing songs and reading any book he could get his hands on. He tried to make the best out of his time by expanding his knowledge, improving his writing style, and becoming more diverse with the music he would soon create. In February 2011 Teezy was released from his stay at the county jail and free to go home to his fiancé, family and kids. Since his release from jail Teezy has been working on his music constantly and attending school.
Many people from all different walks of life can relate to Teezy's music because he raps about his real life experiences. He does not discriminate against any type of music and combines his unique lyrics and delivery to capture many different types of listeners. Throughout all the ups and downs, the trials and tribulations he has been though he never lost focus of his dream. Instead of falling victim to the unfortunate circumstances he has faced, he uses his past and molds it into music that is sure to impress.
