The chart-topping, Grammy nominated Memphis producer suddenly passed last week at the age of 29, so we take a look back at the songs that defined his career.
Tay Keith attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 4, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Tay Keith’s sudden passing put a somber cloud over Juneteenth and Father’s Day weekend, resulting in an outpouring of condolences from his peers online. BlocBoy JB, one of his earliest collaborators and best friends, took to Instagram Stories to mourn the chart-topping Memphis producer with a series of photos of the two together and shared that they would often talk everyday. “Damn Cuz You Just Hurt Me Bad,” wrote the Memphis rapper. “We talked everyday yeen tell me you was leaving.”
Drake, who was featured on the Memphis producer’s breakout hit “Look Alive” alongside Blocboy, paid tribute to his former collaborator. “Endless and eternal gratitude for your spirit and your contributions to this thing that we all love so much,” he wrote on Instagram. “You will be deeply missed.” BlocBoy wasn’t the only rapper who received help from Tay Keith in launching a hitmaking career, as the producer was also instrumental in helping St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red become a Hot 100 mainstay. She also mourned his loss on Instagram: “Blood in blood out. We brothers but not related,” she wrote. “I love you bruddaaa @taykeith still da best duo us 5life.”
Since he and Blocboy exploded on the rap scene with their hit single “Look Alive,” Keith’s hard-hitting beats and signature producer tag have become somewhat of a staple on the charts. In just a short period, he produced 11 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and saw four of those records hit No. 1, and he holds the record for the most No. 1s on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this decade, with six of them. While tracks like “Sicko Mode,” “First Person Shooter,” “Get It Sexyy” and “Look Alive” are a some of his more popular records, he also ventured off into pop and U.K rap with songs with Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus and Aitch & AJ Tracey, respectively, which we highlighted on this list.
Check out our picks for the 10 Tay Keith songs you should know below.
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“Shoot”
Artist: BlocBoy JB
BlocBoy JB and Tay Keith introduced their version of Memphis trap to the masses with “Shoot” in 2017, which served as BlocBoy’s breakout hit and a seminal placement for Keith alongside his booming drums. While it didn’t crack the Billboard Hot 100 — that would come in 2018 with a lift from Drake on “Look Alive” for BlocBoy JB — “Shoot” brought plenty of eyes and ears to the new Memphis wave. “Shoot” also spawned a viral dance that swept the nation, and even landed in Fortnite as the “Hype” emote. — MICHAEL SAPONARA
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“Look Alive”
Artist: BlocBoy JB (feat. Drake)
This is how you make an entrance. Memphis’ BlocBoy JB and his best friend Tay Keith exploded on the mainstream rap scene with their breakout single “Look Alive,” which also happened to feature the biggest rapper in the world. With Drake in tow, the song debuted at No. 6 on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 5 and helping to make everyone aware that BlocBoy was the first person to introduce the “Shoot” dance into the pre-pandemic pop culture. The infamous “Tay Keith, f—k these n—as up” drop sets the table before those signature drums thump behind Drake’s opening verse, effectively making this track one of those forever bangers. — ANGEL DIAZ
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“Nonstop”
Artist: Drake
“Nonstop” marked Tay Keith’s second collaboration with Drake and remains one of the standout records from 2018’s Scorpion — and arguably some of Tay’s best production work. The charts back it up. “Nonstop” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, only missing out on the top spot because it was blocked by another Scorpion smash, “Nice for What.” Tay Keith laid the perfect foundation for Drake to do what he does best: deliver braggadocious bars over a hard-hitting, minimalist beat. The song spent 13 weeks in the Hot 100’s top 10 and became one of the defining rap records of that summer. — CHRIS CLAXTON
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“Sicko Mode”
Artist: Travis Scott (feat. Drake)
Before beat switches became a go-to cheat code, Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” was the blueprint. A labor of love featuring an All-Star cast of producers — Hit-Boy, OZ, CuBeatz, Rogét Chahayed, MD Beatz and more — Keith’s fingerprints are all over the song’s second act, where an uncaged Drake is on the loose. Keith’s ominous production keeps listeners on edge as a seething Drake fires shots at Ye while Scott revels in the chaos. The intergalactic anthem sent shockwaves through hip-hop the night Astroworld landed, ultimately delivering Keith his first No. 1 on the Hot 100. — CARL LAMARRE
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“Never Recover”
Artist: Lil Baby & Gunna (feat. Drake)
Drake’s braggadocious mob boss raps and Tay Keith’s menacing production became a lethal combination in 2018. Continuing his banner year, Drizzy set the tone flexing on the competition on “Never Recover” before passing the baton over to Gunna and Lil Baby, who were ready to set the standard for the next generation of rappers coming at the end of the 2010s. “Never Recover” reached No. 15 on the Hot 100 and capped what was a dominant breakout campaign for the Memphis producer. — M.S.
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“Don’t Come Out the House”
Artist: Metro Boomin feat. 21 Savage
This standout track from Metro’s Not All Heroes Wear Capes is a lesson in contrast. When Savage shifts from his regular voice — which plays nicely against Metro’s ominous keys — to a Ying Yang Twins-nodding whisper-rap cadence over Tay Keith’s bare-bones bass and drums, “Don’t Come Out the House” immediately announces itself as an impressive, late-2010s addition to the horrorcore canon. Keith’s sparse production allows Savage’s voice to really come alive here; he’s as gleeful as he is stern, making for arguably the strongest collaboration between the three hip-hop superstars. — KYLE DENIS
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“Before I Let Go”
Artist: Beyoncé
Despite posting major wins with Drake (“Nonstop”) and Travis Scott (“Sicko Mode”), Keith’s soiree with Beyoncé on “Before I Let Go” is arguably his crown jewel. The tandem’s reimagining of Frankie Beverly and Maze’s 1981 classic gave dance-happy millennials and Gen Z listeners a healthy dose of nostalgia. What could’ve been a tall task ended up being a breeze for Keith and Queen B, as the vocal powerhouse glided across his modern-day flip. Keith’s bounce and blaring horns injected the record with a more charged, HBCU-inspired energy, helping transform their rendition into an instant staple for cookouts, homecomings and family reunions. — C.L.
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“Mother’s Daughter”
Artist: Miley Cyrus
Who said Miley abandoned hip-hop after Bangerz? The Grammy-winning Disney alum tapped Keith to program some drums on “Mother’s Daughter,” the lead single from her oft-overlooked 2019 She Is Coming EP. Sure, his iconic producer tag is absent, since this was primarily an Andrew Wyatt production — but those thunderous, trap-adjacent drums are unmistakably Tay Keith’s DNA. Notably, “Daughter” also brought Keith to No. 27 on Pop Airplay, proving his burgeoning crossover potential. — K.D.
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“Rain”
Artist: Aitch & AJ Tracey
“Rain” marked the first collaboration between Aitch and AJ Tracey, with Tay Keith producing the track at just 23 years old. Built around a piano-heavy beat and hard-hitting drums, the song became one of the defining records of the U.K. rap scene in 2020. “Rain” showcased Tay Keith’s ability to step outside of American hip-hop and successfully translate his signature sound to the U.K. — C.C.
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“Get It Sexyy”
Artist: Sexyy Red
I remember when she was teasing this song on social media, and everyone was clamoring for her to finally drop it. And once it did, there wasn’t a strip club in the universe that was safe. Tay Keith’s production brilliantly captured the essence of those mid-2000s bangers when Southern rap had just started its decade-long run on the radio, the charts, and the clubs. “Get It Sexyy” will forever talk you into making it rain on a dangerously thick stripper, especially after you’ve been trying to get her attention by loudly sighing in the corner. Like the great Kevin Costner once said in Field of Dreams, “Throw some money when this song comes on and they will come.” — A.D.
