Detroit rapper Tee Grizzley is expanding his business ventures beyond music with plans to help develop a $12 million apartment building in his hometown of Detroit.
The “First Day Out” rapper — whose real name is Terry Wallace — is backing a proposed mixed-income housing project in Detroit’s historic Brush Park neighborhood, an area that has seen significant redevelopment in recent years.
According to reports, the development would be a five-story, mixed-use building featuring 37 residential units and about 30,000 square feet of space. The project would include mostly studio and one-bedroom apartments, with a limited number of two-bedroom units.
About 20 percent of the apartments would be set aside as affordable housing, available to residents earning around 80 percent of the area’s median income, while the remaining units would be rented at market rates.
The development, expected to be called Wallace Estates, would be built on a site at 205 Watson Street in Brush Park. Plans also call for commercial space on the ground floor, along with amenities and parking for residents.
In a statement about the project, Grizzley emphasized his desire to invest in the city that raised him.
“Detroit raised me — I’m a west side kid, and I’m passionate about bringing mixed-income housing to my city,” the rapper said, adding that the project aims to create safe housing that “respects longtime residents and welcomes new neighbors.”
If approved by city officials, construction could begin as soon as this summer, with the building potentially completed within about 18 months to two years.
The move marks one of the most significant real-estate investments yet for the Detroit native, who appears to be joining a growing list of artists using their wealth to reinvest in their communities.
For Grizzley, the project represents more than just development — it’s a way to give back to the city that helped launch his career.
