Grammy-nominated record producer Tay Keith, who collaborated on hits from major artists, including Beyoncé and Drake, has died at the age of 29, authorities confirmed on Friday.
Upon conducting a welfare check, authorities discovered Keith unresponsive at his residence on Martin Street. His exact cause of death has not yet been released pending further investigation; however, officials said they do not suspect foul play.
Born in 1996, the Memphis native quickly rose to chart-topping success after first teaming up with local artist and household names in the hip-hop industry including Three 6 Mafia and 8Ball & MJG.
“Memphis music is all I listened to and all my family listened to,” Keith told Rolling Stone in an interview back in 2022. “My stepfather who I am still close with really influenced my taste for music.”
Keith graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2018, and produced his first No. 1 hit with Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” that same year. The track earned him his first Grammy nomination and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, propelling his mark in the industry.
At 21-years-old, Keith scored another breakthrough record with Drake and BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive.” He would later return to the top of the charts alongside Drake with “First Person Shooter,” adding another No. 1 hit to his résumé.
“We talked every day. Yeen tell me you was leaving,” JB wrote in response to the news on his Instagram stories. “Never thought you’ll leave this [expletive] before me thru my downs you kept me up you was and will always be the brother I never had.”
With six chart-topping records, Keith holds the decade’s record for the most No. 1 hits on the Hot R&B and Hip-Hop Songs chart, according to Billboard.
His other collaborations include co-production work on Eminem’s “Not Alike,” Lil Baby and Gunna’s “Never Recover,” and Beyoncé’s “Before I Let Go,” featured on her “Homecoming: The Live Album.”
Further, Keith helped shape the career of rapper Sexyy Red, executive producing her 2024 album “Sexyy We Trust” and producing popular tracks including “Pound Town” and “SkeeYee.”
Beyond producing hit tracks, Keith worked to expand his influence within Nashville’s music community by launching “DRUMATIZED,” a creative enterprise and studio that welcomed artists from both hip-hop and country backgrounds.
The studio became widely recognized as a destination for creative camps and recording sessions involving both emerging and established artists.
