FREETAE

FREETAE. Deonte Edwards — producer, artist, and CEO of TierOneRecords, born and raised in Long Beach, California with a mindset that’s lived, not advertised.

TRIAL AND ERROR — built on every mistake that didn’t break me.

I picked up production in 2009 with nothing but hunger and belief. No connections. No funding. No safety net. Just a vision that wouldn’t let me sleep. That obsession opened doors — sessions and intersections with Lil Wayne, Iggy Azalea, Jeremih, Sean Kingston, Hit-Boy, King Combs, and Tracy T. Affiliations connected to Roc Nation and Young Money in partnership with Republic Records.

In 2016, I buried my mother. Grief didn’t break the mission — it sharpened it. But the years of pouring everything into this pursuit took their toll. Instability crept in. I went through a season of homelessness. Determined to rebuild, I made choices that led to a federal indictment in 2022. I’m currently serving a federal sentence.

But walls don’t stop what was built to last. From inside, the blueprint for TierOneRecords keeps expanding — with more clarity than ever. Circumstances don’t dictate direction. Pressure creates growth. The mission stays locked.