Deezy Wee’s 2017 single “Jetro” was one of the most raucous songs the Tampa Bay area rap scene saw that year, but the 22-year-old still set to quickly outdoing himself on a follow-up EP, which CL profiled last fall.
“Pickled Oranges became a personal artist experiment between [producer] Beyobe and me,” Deezy Wee told CL contributor and Savage City blog founder Casey Jeanite. The release happened quickly, according to Beyobe, who said that he’d be in the studio working on a beat before Deezy Wee strolled in.
“He’d walk in and just start writing. We might be in the studio for 12 hours at a time between him writing and me doing post-production stuff,” Beyobe said. Deezy Wee’s road to get to Pickled Oranges, however, wasn’t exactly on that fast track.
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Born in Thonotosassa, Deezy Wee spent his time in the sticks developing a love for the visual arts. That became an elementary obsession with colors and drawing; he dove into blank canvases instead of books and became increasingly reclusive, choosing to spend more and more time doodling instead of studying. In the sixth grade, his relationship with music started to evolve into a knack for crafting wicked phrases, which led to freestyling and then finally to writing along with music.
After experiencing the joy of making the sounds in his mind come alive, Deezy Wee knew he wanted to pursue music seriously. His focus has been slinging rhymes for the past eight years, and while inspiration is everywhere, finding a balance between music and art has proved difficult. Finding his instantly recognizable voice (intimidatingly gruff, with an odd warmth perfect for storytelling) was a little easier.
“I learned that my voice was unique the day I stopped using filters on my vocal tracks,” he said. Someone once compared Deezy Wee to Odd Future figurehead Tyler the Creator, and he hated it. “When I stopped using the filter I remember someone telling me I sounded like Tyga in early 2010, and I was just like, 'Fuck it, let’s run wit it.'”
Fans can hear that sonic and lyrical evolution if they visit Deezy Wee’s older work — the Smoke and Folk EPs — and in real life if they catch Deezy Wee at one of his rare live appearances. Listen to Pickled Oranges below or by visiting Deezy Wee on Spotify.
