Rapper Tee Grizzley is celebrating a fresh start in his life, with his legal record being expunged. The moment marks a major reset for the Detroit star whose rise to fame began almost immediately after he returned home from prison. More than a decade after criminal cases disrupted his college years and sent him behind bars, Tee Grizzley says every felony connected to his past is now gone.
Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina expunged his Michigan record during an August 5 courtroom ceremony in Lansing. The rapper also spoke to two teenagers graduating from the county’s Juvenile Weapons Court program.
WILX reported that the teenagers had their felony weapons charges reduced to misdemeanors after completing requirements involving education, employment, counseling, and mental health treatment when necessary. Tee told the graduates that they had received an opportunity that could change the direction of their lives.
Tee Grizzley’s expungement closes a Michigan chapter that began while he was attending Michigan State University in 2014. Grizzley became involved in a series of dorm room thefts and was later sentenced for second degree home invasion. He received an 18 month Michigan sentence.
His legal problems also extended beyond Michigan. Grizzley and two other men were arrested in Lexington, Kentucky, after authorities said they entered The Castle jewelry store with hammers during an attempted robbery in July 2014. An initial first degree robbery charge was reduced to theft by unlawful taking or disposition and Grizzley received a nine month sentence.
After serving his Kentucky sentence, he was returned to Michigan to face the home invasion case. He ultimately served time in both states before returning home in 2016 and transforming his experience into “First Day Out,” the breakout record that introduced his vivid storytelling and Detroit flow to a national audience. Much of his album, “My Moment” was written during his incarceration.
During the Lansing ceremony, Tee explained that a felony record continued affecting him even after he had built a successful career. He said the convictions prevented him from performing in certain locations, limited business opportunities, and created problems when he attempted to obtain some life insurance policies.
In his Instagram announcement, Tee wrote:
“Every felony GONE!!!! Thank you God 🙏🏾 If you’re reading this and you’ve made mistakes, don’t let them convince you your life is over. One decision doesn’t have to define your entire story. Keep working. Keep praying. Keep growing. Your comeback can be greater than your setback. NOW STAY OUTTA THE BS AND GO GET THE MONEY!! #TheyForgot”
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The available reporting specifically confirms that his Michigan felony record was expunged. Tee’s statement says every felony is gone, but public reports do not clearly explain whether the separate Kentucky matter required or received its own form of record relief.
Expungement does not mean the events never occurred. According to the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, Michigan also calls expungement a conviction set aside. The process removes an eligible conviction from public view, meaning most employers, landlords, and standard background checks will no longer see it. Law enforcement and certain licensing agencies may retain limited access.
Michigan’s Clean Slate laws allow eligible applicants to petition courts to set aside as many as three felony convictions, although waiting periods, offense limits, and other restrictions apply. A judge reviews the person’s record and decides whether granting the application is consistent with public welfare. The expungement therefore represents legal relief from the continuing public consequences of his Michigan convictions, not a rewrite of the history he has openly discussed through his music.
Other rappers have publicly celebrated similar relief. In 2021, Cordae announced that a felony charge connected to his arrest during a Breonna Taylor protest had been expunged. Snoop Dogg told Billboard in 2020 that his record had been expunged while discussing his decision to vote for the first time. That same year, 2 Chainz also said his record had been expunged while encouraging formerly incarcerated people to understand their voting rights.
For Tee Grizzley, the courtroom moment brought his message full circle. His past helped inspire the music that changed his life, but the expungement means those convictions no longer have to control every business opportunity, application, or background check connected to his future.
