Tay Keith, Grammy-Nominated Hip-Hop Producer, Dead at
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- Tay Keith (Brytavious Lakeith Chambers) was found dead in his Nashville apartment during a welfare check Thursday afternoon, according to Metro Nashville PD; he was 29.
- Metro Nashville PD said no foul play is suspected, but the cause of death remains unknown as autopsy results are pending.
- Born September 20, 1996, in Memphis, Keith began producing and posting beats to YouTube as a teenager before breaking through in 2018 with BlocBoy JB's 'Rover,' 'Shoot' and 'Look Alive' featuring Drake.
- Keith's 2018 production of Travis Scott's 'Sicko Mode' earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song; that same year he also produced Drake's 'Nonstop' and Eminem's 'Not Alike.'
- Keith went on to produce Beyoncé's 'Before I Let Go' for the 2019 Homecoming: The Live Album, Lil Nas X's 'Holiday' in 2020, and DJ Khaled's all-star 'I Did It' in 2021.
- Keith released his sole album, 'Fxck the Cash Up,' with Memphis group Fast Cash Boyz in 2020.
Why it matters: Keith's death at 29 removes a producer who, between 2018 and 2021, placed beats on marquee tracks for Drake, Travis Scott, Eminem, Beyoncé, Lil Nas X and DJ Khaled — a cross-genre reach few producers of his generation matched — while the pending autopsy leaves the cause of death unresolved for a figure still early in his career arc.
