Tay Keith, the producer of Travis Scott‘s ‘Sicko Mode’, has died at the age of 29.
The Grammy-nominee, who has also worked with the likes of Drake, Eminem and Beyoncé, was found dead in his apartment in Nashville, Tennessee.
Nashville police officers discovered Keith’s body after performing a welfare check. They have confirmed that “no foul play is suspected” in his death, as BBC News reports.
A cause of death has not yet been disclosed, but an autopsy is being conducted.
Keith earned a Grammy nomination in the Best Rap Song category at the 2019 ceremony for ‘Sicko Mode’. He then earned a second nod for the same award in 2024 with Drake and 21 Savage’s ‘Rich Flex’.
The producer was featured on Forbes‘ 30 Under 30 Music list last year. He appeared on the rundown with his manager, Cambrian Strong. In 2018, the pair co-founded the Memphis-based label and creative space Drumatized Music Group.
Keith was involved in launching Sexyy Red’s successful career with the breakout hit single ‘Pound Town’ (2023), which went viral on TikTok. A remix of the track featuring Nicki Minaj followed, titled ‘Pound Town 2’.
He co-produced Red’s ‘Get It Sexyy’, with the song recently featuring on the Euphoria season three soundtrack.
Born and raised in Memphis, Keith began producing music aged 14. His career also saw him collaborate with Cardi B, Future, Lil Nas X and Miley Cyrus. Keith worked on Megan Thee Stallion‘s latest album, too, 2024’s ‘Megan’.
Per Billboard, Keith’s work led to him bagging 11 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and four Number Ones. He currently holds the record for the most Number Ones on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this decade, having earned six.
Keith studied at Middle Tennessee State University, where he graduated with a degree in integrated studies and media management in 2018.
“There wouldn’t be any point for me to come to college if I didn’t want to finish it – I could have just focused 100 per cent on music,” he told MTSU News in 2020. “By my last week of college, I had my first Number One single, so it didn’t make any sense to drop out.”
In 2024, BMI named him Producer Of The Year at the R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.
Memphis rapper BlocBoy JB – one of Keith’s earliest collaborators – has paid tribute to the late producer on social media. He shared a broken-heart emoji on Instagram Stories, as well as a photograph of the two together.
“Damn cuz you just hurt me bad,” the caption read. He then posted a screen recording showing a long log of phone calls between them, adding: “We talked everyday yeen tell me you was leaving.”
