Detroit rapper Teejayx6 has built quite a reputation for himself in the past two months since his absurdly self-incriminating raps first saw some media coverage and underground buzz, but the events in the past weeks that have transpired with Teejay are nothing short of life-changing. Between positive Pitchfork reviews, becoming an internet-wide meme, and a Vince Staples shoutout Teejay has gone from a nobody to a large talking point amongst rap pundits, industry executives and employees, and die-hard fans alike.

His off-kilter delivery and detailed tutorials on how to commit credit card fraud are easily the most memorable facets of Teejay’s music from the onset, but I wanted to meet the man behind this caricature, and I was very pleased with what I found. Although he has claimed to have scammed Curren$y and to have possession of Tony Parker’s social security info, among a litany of other absurd (alleged) offenses, Teejay is an incredibly humble individual with hopes of providing for his family and pivoting from being a meme into an artist taken seriously. He oozes confidence and swagger and after a phone conversation with him, I could easily see why most of the internet is very excited to meet the man behind some of the truly wildest lyrics of the year.

I was lucky enough to get to talk to Teejay about his background and sudden rise to relevancy.

This interview has been lightly edited for the sake of clarity.

Did you ever expect that you would blow up this quickly, or at all for that matter?

Watch Teejayx6’s visual for his song “Dark Web” here:

These photos are courtesy of @shooter.jimmy and @brokehgod.