Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe (born August 26, 2002), known professionally asLil Tecca, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter.[2] He rose to mainstream fame with the release of his 2019 single "Ransom", which peaked at number four on theBillboard Hot 100.[3][4][5] The song preceded the release of his debut mixtapeWe Love You Tecca (2019), which peaked at number four on theBillboard 200[6] and contained the follow-up singles "Love Me" and "Did It Again".[7] His debut studio album,Virgo World (2020) peaked at number ten on theBillboard 200, while his second and third albums,We Love You Tecca 2 (2021) andTec (2023) reached similar positions on the chart. The latter two spawned the singles "Never Left" and "500lbs", respectively, both of which receivedplatinum certifications by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His fourth studio albumPlan A was released in 2024.
At the age of 9, Lil Tecca would be interested in music after he began rapping over his mic, while he was playing a game onXbox, with his friends. Following this imminent occurrence, Tecca and his friends started targeting each other with diss tracks, with Tecca uploading two songs towards them onto his account onSoundCloud. However, those tracks have since been removed.[13] Tecca's first notable release was a track, called "Tectri", released in 2017, in which was a collaborative single with Gummybear. Following the release of "Tectri", Tecca continues releasing early tracks, including "Callin", among others.[14]
2018–2019: Mainstream with Ransom andWe Love You Tecca
On July 24, Tecca released a single, titled "Did It Again". Upon its release, the song debuted at 64 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his second entry after "Ransom".[21] As of October 23, 2023, the single would become a certified two-timesplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over a two million units in the United States.[22] On August 14, 2019, Tecca released the remix to "Ransom", with Juice Wrld, onto his account on SoundCloud.[23] The remix was released on other platforms the following day.[24] The track was mixed by Taz Taylor and Nick Mira. The remix later got added to his-then upcoming debut mixtape, titledWe Love You Tecca, alongside the original version of the record. On August 30, Tecca released his debut mixtape,We Love You Tecca,[25] peaking at number 4 on the USBillboard 200.[6] Following the mixtape's success, Tecca collaborated withInternet Money andA Boogie Wit da Hoodie on their track, titled "Somebody", in which was released on October 11, 2019.[26] Produced byNick Mira andTaz Taylor, the song debuted at number 96 on theBillboard Hot 100. He released a track, called "Glo Up", later in that same month.[27] On December 16, Tecca then released the single, called "Why You Look Mad", in which was produced by Ginseng and Rio Leyva.[citation needed]
On January 31, 2020, Tecca appeared as a featured artist onThe Kid Laroi's "Diva".[28][29] It peaked at number 76 on theARIA Singles Chart.[30] On February 7, Tecca released a track, titled "IDK", in which was self-produced and released throughGalactic andRepublic Records.[31] On March 13, Tecca released his single, called "All Star", a collaboration withLil Tjay, in which accompanied by a music video.[32] On April 17, he released a track, called "Out of Love" featuring Internet Money.[33] The official music video for the track was released on June 30.[34] The video was directed by Omar Jones.[35] On August 27, he appeared as a featured artist on Internet Money's "JLO", in which was released through10K Projects.[36]
On September 18, Tecca released his debut studio album, titledVirgo World.[37] "Dolly" featuringLil Uzi Vert, was released that same day.[38] On March 26, 2021, Internet Money released a track, called "Jetski", in which features a guest appearance from Tecca andLil Mosey.[39] Although it didn't chart on theBillboard Hot 100, the song peaked at number 19 on theBubbling Under the Hot 100 and number 88 on the Canadian Hot 100.[40][failed verification]
On April 6, 2021, Tecca released the single, called "Show Me Up". The song was produced by Niko East.[41] On May 6, he follow suit with the release of his single, called "Never Left", in which peaked at number 56 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[42][failed verification][43] It also was ranked at number 28 on theRolling Stone Top 100.[44] Tecca released a track, called "Money on Me" on July 23,[45] followed by the other track, called "Repeat It" (featuring American rapperGunna) on August 6, resepctively.[46] The former or the latter of those two songs became a certified gold byMusic Canada.[47][failed verification]
On January 28, 2022, Tecca released his new single, called "Fallin". The song was written by Tecca, alongside Amin Elamin and Nathan Andrew Chen.[55] The song was produced by Menoh Beats and Ninetyniine, with an accompanying music video released the same day.[56] On February 25,ArrDee released a remix to "Flowers (Say My Name)", in which features a guest appearance from Tecca. Produced by WhYJay and LiTek, the song gained attention for Tecca's melodic verse, in which where he raps about his love interest.[57] On June 29, Tecca collaborated with English singerMabel on "Let Love Go", a track from her second studio album,About Last Night....[58] Tecca released two singles–"Faster" (August 5)[59] and "Treesha" (August 26)–throughout the summer of 2022.[60] On December 9, he follow suit with the release of his single, called "Blessing", in which was produced by Yung Tago and was released through Galactic Records.[61]
Tecca would released four promotional singles–"Need Me" (May 11),[62] "500lbs" (July 21),[63] "Hvn on Earth" (withKodak Black; August 18),[64] and "Dead or Alive" (September 20),[65] throughout the year of 2023, in a lead up to the release of his-then upcoming and untitled third studio album. On September 22, Tecca released his third studio album, titledTec.[66] Initially announced to be released in May, however, the album's release has been delayed until fall of 2023.[67] The album, comprises 16 tracks, includes one bonus track.[68] Upon its release,Tec received generally positive reviews from critics[69] and became Lil Tecca's third US top album, debuting at number eleven on the USBillboard 200. Following its release, several songs from the album charted on theBillboard Hot 100.[70] The music video for "Down with Me" premiered on December 29, 2023,[71] that led to the album's bonus track being released as a single on January 4, 2024.[72]
In May 2024, Tecca released two songs–"Never Last" and "Number 2"–alongside their music videos the same day.[73] "Number 2" charted at number 45 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts[74] and number 18 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.[75] Additionally, "Never Last" reached number 29 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart. On August 9, Tecca released the single, called "Taste", in which charted at number 31 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart.[76][failed verification] On August 30, he released a track, called "Bad Time".[77] The song was first previewed on anInstagram Live on June 24.[78]
In September 2024, Tecca announced his-then upcoming fourth studio album, titledPlan A, in which would be released on September 20.[79][80] Upon its release,Plan A debuted at number 66 on theUK Albums Chart. The album featured a sole guest appearance fromDon Toliver.[81] On March 14, 2025, he released the single "Dark Thoughts".[82]
During interviews in 2023 withJazzys World TV[83] andComplex, Lil Tecca expressed that if he were not a rapper, he would have pursued a career as a heart surgeon.[84]
^abKoscik, Danielle."Rapper Lil Tecca's Transition from High school Student to Chart Topping Artist",Medium (website), November 21, 2019. Accessed September 26, 2020. "Tyler-Justin Anthony Sharpe grew up in Cedarhurst, Long Island right around the corner from the high school he would attend for 3 years before making it big. While at Lawrence High school he would tend to stay in the background before people worldwide knew his name."
