Tay Keith dies at 29, Metro Nashville Police confirmed Thursday, June 18, 2026, closing the story of a Memphis-born producer whose distinctive tag-line beats helped define the sound of mainstream hip-hop in the late 2010s. Born Brytavious Lakeith Chambers, Tay Keith was found dead in his Nashville apartment during a welfare check performed by officers. Police say no foul play is suspected, and the cause of death remains unknown pending autopsy results.
What Happened: Found Dead During a Welfare Check
Metro Nashville Police have confirmed the death of Grammy-nominated producer Brytavious Chambers, better known as Tay Keith. The 29-year-old was found dead in his Martin Street apartment, MNPD said.
“No foul play is suspected,” police added, saying that his body was discovered as officers performed a welfare check. Chambers’ cause of death has not yet been determined.
The Grammy nominee was found dead in his Nashville apartment during a welfare check on Thursday afternoon, according to Metro Nashville PD. No foul play is suspected, and the cause of death is currently unknown as autopsy results are pending, MNPD’s statement reads.
Who Was Tay Keith? From Memphis to Grammy Nomination
Born September 20, 1996, in Memphis, Keith began making music and posting it to YouTube as a teenager, before finding success with BlocBoy JB’s “Rover,” “Shoot” and “Look Alive” featuring Drake in 2018.
That breakthrough year established Tay Keith as one of hip-hop’s most in-demand young producers almost overnight. His distinctive production style, anchored by his signature vocal tag, became instantly recognizable across mainstream rap radio and streaming charts throughout 2018 and the years that followed.
Also that year, Keith produced Drake’s “Nonstop,” Eminem’s “Not Alike,” and Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song. Landing production credits across three of the year’s most significant rap releases within the span of months was a remarkable achievement for a producer who had only recently emerged from Memphis’s local music scene.
The Sicko Mode Era: How Tay Keith Shaped 2018 Hip-Hop
Tay Keith’s contribution to “Sicko Mode” specifically represents one of the most consequential single production credits of his career, given the song’s lasting cultural impact and chart performance.
Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” which Keith produced, became one of the defining hip-hop singles of the late 2010s and earned Keith his Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song. The track’s multi-part structure and shifting production segments became a template that influenced subsequent hip-hop production trends for years afterward.
Combined with his work on BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive” featuring Drake, Drake’s own “Nonstop,” and Eminem’s “Not Alike,” all released within the same calendar year, Tay Keith’s 2018 output placed him among the most commercially significant producers working in mainstream hip-hop at that moment in the genre’s history.
His Work With Beyoncé, Lil Nas X, and DJ Khaled
Tay Keith’s production career extended well beyond his breakthrough year, with credits spanning some of music’s biggest names across multiple genres and eras.
In 2019, Keith produced the bonus track “Before I Let Go” for Beyoncé’s Homecoming: The Live Album, before producing Lil Nas X’s “Holiday” in 2020 and DJ Khaled’s “I Did It” featuring Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby and DaBaby in 2021.
The breadth of artists Tay Keith worked with, spanning Beyoncé’s R&B and pop sensibilities, Lil Nas X’s genre-blending approach, and DJ Khaled’s collaborative all-star posse cuts, demonstrated a production versatility that extended well past his initial reputation as a trap-influenced hip-hop specialist.
What Comes Next: Pending Autopsy Results
The official cause of Tay Keith’s death has not yet been determined, with Metro Nashville Police indicating that further information will depend on the results of a pending autopsy.
Metro Nashville Police have stated clearly that no foul play is suspected in connection with his death. The investigation, as is standard procedure when a death occurs without an immediately apparent cause, will continue through the medical examiner’s office before any official cause of death is released to the public.
For Tay Keith’s family, collaborators, and the broader hip-hop community, the period before autopsy results are finalized will likely involve continued uncertainty about the specific circumstances surrounding his death.
Tay Keith’s Musical Legacy
Keith released his sole album, Fxck the Cash Up, with Fast Cash Boyz in 2020, representing his primary credited solo project alongside the extensive catalog of production work for other artists that defined the majority of his career.
For a producer who began posting music to YouTube as a teenager in Memphis, Tay Keith’s rise to working with Drake, Beyoncé, Eminem, Travis Scott, and Lil Nas X within just a few years represents one of the more remarkable production career trajectories of the late 2010s hip-hop landscape. His signature production tag became a recognizable signal of quality and commercial relevance across an extraordinary range of releases during his most active years.
Latest Updates
Tay Keith was found dead on Thursday, June 18, 2026, with Metro Nashville Police confirming the news that afternoon. WSMV confirmed the full statement from MNPD, including the welfare check discovery on Martin Street, that no foul play is suspected, and that cause of death has not yet been determined. Deadline confirmed Tay Keith’s full career history, including his real name Brytavious Lakeith Chambers, his September 20, 1996 birth date in Memphis, his breakthrough work on BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive,” Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” and his subsequent production credits with Beyoncé, Lil Nas X, and DJ Khaled.
Full sources: WSMV | WREG | Deadline
Broader Implications
Tay Keith dies at 29 closes the chapter on a production career that, despite its relatively brief active span, left a lasting mark on mainstream hip-hop’s sound throughout the late 2010s. His production tag, instantly recognizable to listeners across that era, accompanied some of the genre’s most commercially and critically significant releases, including a Grammy-nominated single in Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode.”
The pending autopsy results mean the full circumstances of his death remain unknown for now, and the absence of suspected foul play offers some clarity even as the specific medical cause awaits formal confirmation. For the broader music industry, Tay Keith’s passing represents another loss of a young creative figure whose work shaped the sound of an entire era of popular music.
For Memphis, where Tay Keith began his career posting music to YouTube as a teenager, his death marks the loss of one of the city’s most commercially successful musical exports of the past decade, a reminder of the city’s continued influence on mainstream hip-hop production.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. How did Tay Keith die?
The cause of Tay Keith’s death has not yet been determined. He was found dead in his Nashville apartment during a welfare check performed by Metro Nashville Police on Thursday, June 18, 2026. Police have stated that no foul play is suspected, and autopsy results are pending.
2. How old was Tay Keith when he died?
Tay Keith was 29 years old. He was born Brytavious Lakeith Chambers on September 20, 1996, in Memphis, Tennessee.
3. What songs is Tay Keith known for producing?
Tay Keith is best known for producing Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” which earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song, as well as BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive” featuring Drake, “Rover,” and “Shoot,” Drake’s “Nonstop,” and Eminem’s “Not Alike,” all released in 2018.
4. Did Tay Keith work with Beyoncé?
Yes. In 2019, Tay Keith produced the bonus track “Before I Let Go” for Beyoncé’s “Homecoming: The Live Album.” He also produced Lil Nas X’s “Holiday” in 2020 and DJ Khaled’s “I Did It” featuring Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Baby, and DaBaby in 2021.
5. Did Tay Keith release his own music?
Yes. Keith released his sole album, “Fxck the Cash Up,” with Fast Cash Boyz in 2020. The majority of his career, however, was built on production credits for other artists rather than his own recorded music.
