Grammy Producer Dies
Grammy-Nominated Producer Tay Keith, 29, Found Dead in Nashville; No Foul Play Suspected
Key Points
Metro Nashville Police described Keith’s death as “unclassified pending autopsy results” and said he was found dead in his “Martin St apt” during a welfare check, adding that “No foul play is suspected.”
BlocBoy JB publicly reacted on Instagram, posting a teen photo with the caption/text: “Damn Cuz You Just Hurt Me Bad,” and sharing a video of their call history while writing, “We talked'everyday yeen tell me you was leaving.”
Beyond his later mainstream success, reporting traced Keith’s path from teen online publishing to industry breakthroughs: he met BlocBoy JB at 14, then landed his first major production project in 2015 (producing Blac Youngsta’s lead single “Lil B***h” on the mixtape F**k Everybody), before gaining a wider audience in 2018 with BlocBoy JB’s viral “Rover.”
Several outlets listed additional recent and high-profile credits not included in the summary— including Jack Harlow’s 2025 track “Just Us” (featuring Doja Cat), Scott’s single “4×4,” and Megan Thee Stallion’s 2024 album track “Broke His Heart”—and also named artists such as Beyoncé and Eminem among his broader discography.
For “Sicko Mode,” reporting specified that Keith co-produced the track with Rogét Chahayed, Hit-Boy, OZ, Cubeatz and Mike Dean; it also noted the song helped make Travis Scott’s first-ever Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 and became the first hip-hop song to spend at least 32 weeks in the chart’s top 10.
Grammy-nominated producer Tay Keith was found dead in his Nashville apartment on June 18, 2026. He was 29 years old. Officers from Metro Nashville Police discovered him during a welfare check at his home on Martin Street. Police said the death is "unclassified pending autopsy results" and that "no foul play is suspected."
Keith, born Brytavious Chambers in Memphis, produced some of the biggest hip-hop songs of the past decade. His beats appeared on tracks by Drake, Travis Scott, and Beyoncé. He earned two Grammy nominations — for "Sicko Mode" in 2019 and "Rich Flex" in 2024 — and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2025.
From Memphis Teen to Billboard-Topping Hitmaker
Keith grew up in Memphis and met rapper BlocBoy JB at age 14. That early friendship shaped his signature "Memphis slap" sound — a hard-hitting style rooted in the city's rap tradition, according to The FADER. His first major break came in 2015, when he produced Blac Youngsta's lead single "Lil B***h" on the mixtape *F**k Everybody*.
He went mainstream in 2018 with BlocBoy JB's viral "Rover" and the Drake collaboration "Look Alive," which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, he co-produced "Sicko Mode" for Travis Scott alongside Hit-Boy, Rogét Chahayed, OZ, Cubeatz, and Mike Dean. The song hit No. 1 on the Hot 100 and became the first hip-hop track to spend at least 32 weeks in the chart's top 10, per Digital Music News.
A Student and a Star at the Same Time
Keith balanced his rising career with school. He attended Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Nashville. He co-produced "Sicko Mode" while still a student and graduated in December 2018 — the same month the song hit No. 1, according to MTSU Sidelines.
Beverly Keel, Dean of MTSU's College of Media and Entertainment, said: "I am devastated... I was blessed to have spent time with him and was so proud of who he was as a person." MTSU Sidelines also reported that Keith's success drove enrollment at the school, with students choosing MTSU specifically because of him. The university named him an honorary professor in 2021.
Recent Credits, Nashville Roots, and Final Post
In the last two years, Keith kept adding to his catalog. His credits include Jack Harlow's 2025 single "Just Us" featuring Doja Cat, Travis Scott's "4×4," and Megan Thee Stallion's 2024 track "Broke His Heart." He also produced at least five Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits total, according to Hypebeast.
Keith founded Drumatized Music Group, which became Nashville's second Black-owned recording studio, per MusicRow. He hosted music camps for country artists like Walker Hayes and Bailey Zimmerman, bridging hip-hop and country. His final social media post, on June 9, celebrated his track "Get It Sexyy" by Sexyy Red being featured in HBO's *Euphoria*.
Friends and Fans React to the Sudden Loss
BlocBoy JB, one of Keith's closest friends, reacted publicly on Instagram. He posted a childhood photo of the two and wrote: "Damn Cuz You Just Hurt Me Bad." He also shared a video of their call history and added: "We talked everyday yeen tell me you was leaving."
Tributes spread quickly across the music world. Keith's final chapter also included philanthropic work — he ran a "Music For Healing" program with the American Cancer Society, started in memory of his late mother, LaToya, according to Yahoo News. An official cause of death has not been released and awaits autopsy results.
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