TeeLow
Sandusky, OH, USA | Established. Jan 01, 2004 | SELF
Music
Press
SANDUSKY
Like many others, Antonio Lopez despises the drugs, illegal substances and addictive vices ravaging the community he loves.
So he penned an open letter to best explain his resentment toward narcotics killing far too many people in Sandusky as of late.
But the Firelands Regional Medical Center dietary cook and aspiring musician did one better: He passionately recited the two-minute verse, without background music, to describe his frustrations.
Lopez, under the moniker TeeLow, wrote and composed “Dear Sandusky” to spotlight Sandusky’s drug epidemic.
The video — his girlfriend, Stephanie Conkey, filmed landmarks around Sandusky to accompany Lopez’s voice — went viral, exploding in popularity and generating about 23,000 views on Facebook since it published earlier this month.
Lopez recently met with the Register at the Jackson Street Pier to explain the video’s backstory.
“It started last June when my girlfriend and I saw so many calls for possible overdoses, and I thought, ‘Man, it’s insane how much this is happening,’” Lopez said. “Too many people are dying from heroin and other things. To me, it felt like the city wasn’t really doing anything about it, and no one wanted to talk about it, so I started writing this.”
Lopez then spent the next several months, on and off again, writing “Dear Sandusky.”
Throughout the process, he received encouragement from others in tune with his work.
“People told me if a young person is speaking to other young people in a way they can accept and listen to, via rap, it could be more relatable to them, and they could pick up on what I am saying,” Lopez said.
Lopez, who today resides in Milan, dedicates the first half of his lyrical poetry to explaining Sandusky’s drug dilemma.
But in the second half, he urges people to find help before an overdose or drug-induced event takes them or someone they care about.
“Life is a beautiful thing, and it’s too beautiful to throw away,” Lopez said. “Anyone can change. Your best days will forever be ahead of you. You don’t have to look behind.”
People commenting on Lopez’s video expressed their joy with someone’s refreshing take on a sensitive yet important issue impacting all facets of this community:
• Ron Miller: TeeLow, just wanted to say amazing video. I really hope people take your video and watch it and learn from it. Our streets and public places are becoming unsafe day by day.
• Rose Isaac: It takes the youth of today to make a stand and pull together because most don’t want to hear the ‘when I was younger’ stories from the older ones that are trying to get them to listen.
• Tricia Miller: The words the video said it all. A lot of us have someone in our life that is going through this. But your words will touch a life.
• Ed Wise: This is a must listen.
• Brenda Canter-Baum: So real. So deep. So true. Beautifully, painfully spoken.
The outpouring of support overwhelms Lopez, whose most popular video before “Dear Sandusky” only had 600 views.
“It makes me feel really good, and it feels great to be noticed for something that I worked at for so long, and it’s even better that it’s for something so positive,” said Lopez, who added he wants to create a similar video package for Norwalk. “All I want is for my community to turn around and get better.” - Sandusky Register
No one denies there is a drug epidemic in Ohio. Sadly, our readership area is not exempt from this scourge. Too many addicts are responsible for too many crimes, too many broken families and, far too many deaths.
Law enforcement, educators, pastors and doctors are all working to abate this problem. Unfortunately, peer pressure is often stronger than their advice. Though peer pressure may be the catalyst that brings people to drugs, the needle and the spoon are the culprits which grab a person and hang on, never lessening their hold.
An Erie County resident, Antonio Lopez, aka TeeLow, is not content to just sit back and watch drugs chip away at a generation. He wrote a verse, “Dear Sandusky,” and with his girlfriend, Stephanie Conkey, behind the camera, produced a rap video, published on Facebook, that has gone viral and has registered 27,000 views in the last month.
His message is basically an open letter to Sandusky, spelling out the depth of the problem and calling for everyone to work toward a solution. He reminds those who are in the throes of heroin or other opiate addiction that this need not be the end for them. They can turn their lives around. But only when they take on the challenge themselves will things change for them.
We applaud TeeLow for his efforts and implore others to join him in presenting a new kind of peer pressure, one that encourages and celebrates life. - Sandusky Register
NORWALK
TeeLow just released a remix in his evolving music video series — and, in terms of popularity, it’s already outperformed his first smash hit.
Milan resident Antonio Lopez, under the moniker TeeLow, debuted “Dear Norwalk” earlier this week to highlight the Maple City’s drug epidemic.
As of Friday, almost 40,000 people have viewed the video, making it Lopez’s second viral sensation in as many months.
Like his “Dear Sandusky” piece, which received about 28,000 views, Lopez rhythmically verbalizes his resent toward drugs, alcohol and other addictive substances ravaging a community he loves.
Images of noteworthy city staples — Norwalk High School, Summit Motorsports Park and historic uptown— overlay the lyrics he wrote and recites.
“I always felt a part of Norwalk, especially with family living there,” said Lopez, a Firelands Regional Medical Center dietary cook and aspiring musician. “It was important that I included (Norwalk in my video series) because it’s where I first heard about heroin and how bad it was.”
Lopez explained the reasoning behind his “Dear” video series.
“People told me if a young person is speaking to other young people in a way they can accept and listen to, via rap, it could be more relatable to them, and they could pick up on what I am saying,” he said. “Life is a beautiful thing, and it’s too beautiful to throw away. Anyone can change. Your best days will forever be ahead of you. You don’t have to look behind.” - Sandusky Register
Discography
The Fight Back EP (2014)
X X V (2015)
Photos
Bio
Antonio "TeeLow" Lopez is a hip hop artist coming out of Ohio. Born in 1990, TeeLow has a unique musical style that has grown throughout the years. From a modest start rapping at 11, to recording his first cd at 13, TeeLow has grown and honed his rhyme into a truly masterful art. Fans and skeptics alike have both come to respect, and even praise TeeLow's abilities with rhyme and flow.
TeeLow consider's himself a "self made," artist - for the fact that he has no formal training or schooling in record engineering or filming. He took it upon himself to learn as much as he could to put out what he would consider to be a "quality product."
"I want the always want the viewers, or listeners, or whoever - to enjoy the product first. I genuinely want them to look at what I put out and think to themselves 'ok, this guy is a professional, he takes his work seriously." I don't want them to think that I'm some sort of, hobbyist that just wants to play the part," TeeLow says, "especially in hip hop! There are so many people who just want to play the role of the guy they see on TV - and don't care about contributing to the culture or the art at all. They just want to look good - and hip hop rarely looks good from an underground standpoint. Local bars and clubs hesitate to have hip hop shows because of the negative stigma attached - such as fights, drugs, and ultimately the police shutting a venue down. No one wants that. That is bad for business. That's why I try to keep it as professional and true to the art as possible. I want hip hop to grow even further than it has now, and it can't do that if clubs are turning artist's away."
TeeLow has grown into an artist with a mind for the community. He has created a viral video series called the “Open Letter Series,” which has led him to be a voice in the campaign for mental and addiction recovery! In particular, his stance against heroin has gained a lot of attention and has even put him in positions to speak at events and schools. Musically, on November 12th of 2015 - for his 25th birthday - TeeLow released his official debut album “X X V,” which has earned a lot of praise from fans and peers.
With things beginning to move in 2016, it’s anyone’s guess what will happen in 2017 as the music begins to spread further and reach more people. TeeLow is indeed an artist that should be kept in your bookmarks, networks, and favorite lists because soon enough he will be in your hearts.
Band Members
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