Tay Keith, producer behind Drake and Travis Scott hits, dies aged 29

GRAMMY-nominated producer Tay Keith, who worked on hit tracks with the likes of Drake, Beyoncé and Travis Scott during his career, has died aged 29.

Keith was discovered dead in his apartment in Nashville, Tennessee, after police conducted a welfare check on Thursday (June 18). While a cause of death is yet to be determined, foul play has currently been ruled out.

"He was found dead in his Martin St apt this afternoon by officers performing a welfare check," Metro Nashville Police said in a statement on X. "His death is unclassified pending autopsy results."

Keith, real name Brytavious Chambers, was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and began making music at the age of 14. He soon met local rapper BlocBoy JB, who he worked with as a producer.

In 2018, Keith found mainstream success after working with BlocBoy JB on a number of hit tracks, also working alongside Drake on his ‘Nonstop’ single, Eminem's ‘Not Alike’, and  Gunna's ‘Never Recover’.

That same year, Keith also produced Travis Scott's ‘Sicko Mode’, which reached number one in the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned a GRAMMY nomination.

Over the coming years, Keith worked on a number of other hit tracks from the likes of Beyoncé, Aitch and AJ Tracey, Lil Nas X, Cardi B and Miley Cyrus.

Keith’s record label Drumatized Music Group, which he created alongside his manager, Cambrian Strong, earned the pair a spot on Forbes’ 2024 30 Under 30 Music list.

BlocBoy JB, who was due to release an album today (June 19), has stalled its release, and paid tribute to his childhood friend and collaborator in a series of Instagram stories.

“Damn cuz, you just hurt me bad,” he wrote in one. In another, he showed a string of phone calls he and Keith made to each other in recent weeks, saying that they “talked every day”.

In a tribute shared on X, rapper Juicy J wrote: "Can't believe I'm saying this, RIP Tay Keith, Memphis Tenn Legend. Prayers up for the family, friends and fans – we lost a great one."

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Associate Digital Editor