Sam “Zzz” Zelaya Signs To Lil Bibby’s Grade A Productions

Chicago-bred rapper Brandon “Lil Bibby” Dickson made a name for himself as a music executive by backing chart-topping artists like The Kid Laroi and the late Juice WRLD. The Grade A Productions co-founder is looking to repeat that success with Sam “Zzz” Zelaya.

After seeing Zzz receive a shoutout from DJ Khaled, Lil Bibby invited the teenager onto an Instagram Live session. Bibby reportedly flew Zzz out to Los Angeles the next day and eventually signed the University of Florida student to a record deal.

“It’s always great to sign a new artist that is up and coming. Zzz makes music for his generation that speaks to his feelings and when I first listened to his track, I almost cried,” states Lil Bibby. “I’m always looking for artists to sign that are unique and Zzz is perfect for Grade A Productions.”

Zzz released the official Adrian Verdult-directed music video for “Another Day” on December 23, 2021. The 18-year-old industry newcomer has also dropped songs such as “abyss” and “running away” on his YouTube channel.

At the moment, Zzz has more than 47,000 followers on Instagram. The Florida native has an additional 11,000 followers on SoundCloud. “Running away” totaled over 1 million SoundCloud plays since arriving on the platform sixteen days ago.

In addition, Zzz has been in the studio with the “Lemonade” production collective Internet Money. He will also be part of Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash festival in Chicago. That lineup also includes Post Malone, Playboi Carti, Young Thug, Gunna, and more.

Lil Bibby, and his brother George “G-Money” Dickinson, started Grade A Productions in 2017. The company has released Juice WRLD’s Goodbye & Good Riddance, Death Race for Love, and Legends Never Die. The Grade A catalog also contains projects by Bibby, The Kid Laroi, Clever, and Seezyn.

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