Tay Keith, Grammy-Nominated Producer Behind "Sicko Mode" and "Nonstop," Found Dead at 29

Tay Keith, one of hip-hop's most prolific producers of the past decade and the man behind some of the genre's defining hits, was found dead Thursday in his Nashville apartment. He was 29.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department confirmed the death of Keith, whose legal name was Brytavious Chambers, after officers performed a welfare check at his Martin Street residence. "No foul play is suspected," police said in a statement. "His death is unclassified pending autopsy results." A cause of death has not been disclosed.

From Memphis to the Top of the Charts

Born Sept. 20, 1996, in Memphis, Tennessee, Keith began making beats as a teenager, uploading his work to YouTube and the hip-hop platform DatPiff. He met rapper BlocBoy JB at 14, and the two began collaborating almost immediately — a partnership that would eventually open the doors of mainstream hip-hop to both of them.

Keith drew his sound from the Memphis rap tradition, shaped by artists like Three 6 Mafia and 8Ball & MJG. "I was born into this shit and raised in this shit," he told Rolling Stone in 2022. "Memphis music is all I listened to and all my family listened to."

Despite working in music throughout his teens, Keith also finished his education — graduating from Middle Tennessee State University in 2018 with a degree in integrated studies and media management. By his final week of college, he already had his first No. 1 single. "There wouldn't be any point for me to come to college if I didn't want to finish it," he told MTSU News. "By my last week of college, I had my first Number One single, so it didn't make any sense to drop out."

A Career Defined by Big Moments

In 2018, Keith's collaboration with BlocBoy JB caught Drake's attention, leading to "Look Alive," which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that year he co-produced Drake's "Nonstop," which peaked at No. 2, and then came the song that cemented his place in hip-hop history: Travis Scott's "Sicko Mode." The track topped the Billboard Hot 100, earned Grammy nominations for both Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance, achieved diamond platinum status, and remains one of the defining rap records of its era.

That same year he also co-produced Eminem's "Not Alike" from the rapper's album Kamikaze, and contributed to Beyoncé's Homecoming: The Live Album, co-producing the bonus track "Before I Let Go."

Over the following years Keith racked up an extraordinary run of credits. He produced Sexyy Red's breakout hits "Pound Town" and "SkeeYee," and executive produced her 2024 album Sexyy We Trust. He earned a second Grammy nomination in 2024 for "Rich Flex" by Drake and 21 Savage. His collaborators over the course of his career spanned hip-hop's A-list: Lil Baby, Gunna, Cardi B, DJ Khaled, Miley Cyrus, Polo G, Lil Nas X, Kanye West, and more.

By any statistical measure, the body of work was extraordinary. Keith accumulated 11 top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and four No. 1 records. He holds the record for the most No. 1s on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this decade, with six. BMI named him Producer of the Year at its R&B/Hip-Hop Awards three times, most recently in 2024. He also appeared on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Music list.

His producer tag — "Tay Keith, f--- these n--- up!" — became one of the most recognizable sounds in hip-hop, a signal to listeners that a hard beat was about to drop.

Giving Back to Memphis

Despite his success, Keith never lost sight of where he came from. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he spoke about partnering with the National Museum of African-American Music to bring gifts, food, and a seminar to young people during the holidays — and about his broader work with Memphis youth programs.

"I was raised in Section 8, I was raised with a single mom majority of my life," he said. "I have been put out. I've been in situations where we had to get government assistance. I had free lunch and food stamps my whole life. I had to overcome a lot of adversity growing up and I made it a mission to be able to show the youth that it's possible."

In 2018, Keith co-founded Drumatized Music Group, a Memphis-based record label and creative space, with his manager Cambrian Strong.

Tributes poured in from across the music industry Thursday evening. BlocBoy JB, one of Keith's earliest collaborators, posted a broken-heart emoji and a photograph on his Instagram Stories. The investigation into Keith's death remains ongoing pending autopsy results.

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