Grammy-Nominated Producer Tay Keith, Hitmaker for Drake and Travis Scott, Found Dead at 29

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tay Keith, the Grammy-nominated record producer whose thunderous trap beats powered some of the biggest hip-hop hits of the past decade, was found dead Thursday afternoon in his Nashville apartment, police confirmed. He was 29.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, Brytavious Chambers — also known as Tay Keith — was found deceased inside his Martin Street apartment after officers were called to conduct a welfare check. Police said no foul play is suspected in the prolific hitmaker’s death. The MNPD stated that Chambers’ death will remain “unclassified” pending the results of an autopsy.

A Career Built From Memphis to the Top of the Charts

Born Brytavious Lakeith Chambers on September 20, 1996, in Memphis, Tennessee, Tay Keith built one of the most successful production careers in modern hip-hop, working with an array of the genre’s biggest names. Keith worked with music’s biggest stars, including Beyoncé and Drake, and his career included four No. 1 records on the Billboard Hot 100, a remarkable run of commercial success for a producer who first broke through while still in college.

Known for his trap-laden production, the Memphis hitmaker enjoyed tremendous success on the Billboard Hot 100, earning 11 top 10 hits and four No. 1 records, including Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” and Drake’s “First Person Shooter.” Keith held the record for the most No. 1s on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart this decade, with six.

Chambers is best known for co-producing Travis Scott’s 2018 single “Sicko Mode,” which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100, as well as Drake’s “Nonstop,” BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive,” and Eminem’s “Not Alike,” which peaked at numbers two, five, and twenty-four on the chart, respectively. His 2023 single, “Pound Town” with Sexyy Red, marked his first entry on the chart as a lead artist.

Breaking Through With “Sicko Mode” While Still in School

Keith’s defining career moment came while he was a student at Middle Tennessee State University, where he produced what would become one of the most influential hip-hop singles of the 2010s. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2018 for his work on Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode,” which he helped produce while attending Middle Tennessee State University. The Memphis producer was nominated for Best Rap Song for “Sicko Mode” by Travis Scott, Drake, Big Hawk, and Swae Lee in 2019, along with “Rich Flex” by Drake and 21 Savage in 2024.

Keith spoke openly about the dedication required to balance his rapidly accelerating music career with his commitment to finishing his degree. “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% on music,” Keith told MTSU. “By my last week of college, I had my first No. 1 single, so it didn’t make any sense to drop out.”

He described one particularly demanding stretch during that period. “I remember having a flight from New York, and I had a test the same day,” Chambers told MTSU. “So, I flew back from New York that morning, went home, then went straight to class. It was crazy. But if I knew that I could do that, then there wasn’t anything stopping me but myself.”

According to MTSU, Chambers graduated from the school in December 2018 with degrees in integrated studies and media management.

Recognition and Accolades

Keith’s rapid ascent in the music industry earned him formal recognition from multiple outlets covering the business side of the entertainment world. He was among those included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Music list in 2025, earning the listing alongside Cambrian Strong for their Drumatized record label. “At 23, Tay Keith became a Grammy-nominated producer for his work on Travis Scott’s ‘Sicko Mode,’ adding to his roster of clients like Cardi B, Eminem and music’s ‘Queen B’ Beyoncé,” the Forbes listing said. Forbes also noted that he was awarded producer of the year at the BMI Awards in 2024.

A Champion for Memphis Artists

Beyond his own chart success, Keith played a significant role in elevating a generation of artists from his hometown. Keith also played a vital role in uplifting a generation of Memphis artists, including BlocBoy JB and Black Youngsta. In 2018, he produced JB’s biggest Hot 100 hit, “Look Alive.” The Drake-assisted single peaked at No. 5 on the chart and helped introduce both artists to a wider audience. In the early 2020s, he also helped launch Sexyy Red’s career with her breakout single “Pound Town.”

He also produced “Look Alive” by Drake and Memphis rapper BlocBoy JB, a song that shouts out Memphis with the lyric referencing Shelby Drive, a known street in the city, cementing the track’s status as a hometown anthem alongside its commercial success.

Tributes Pour in From the Music Community

News of Keith’s death prompted an immediate and emotional response from collaborators and friends across the music industry, many of whom had worked alongside him for years. Following news of Keith’s passing, BlocBoy JB shared his shock and grief across Instagram Stories, posting photos of the pair as teenagers alongside a screenshot of their call history captioned: “We talked every day. Yeen tell me you was leaving.” JB had revealed that the pair had been speaking on the phone every day in the lead-up to Keith’s sudden death.

Fellow Memphis producer Hitkidd also expressed his disbelief, posting a photo of himself and Keith on Instagram. Memphis Mayor Paul Young posted on Facebook, “Rest in peace, Tay Keith,” accompanied by a picture of himself with the producer.

A Final Public Post

In a poignant final glimpse into his work, Keith’s last public social media activity reflected the same passion for music-making that had defined his entire career. His last post on Instagram, dated May 7, was an announcement promoting Chris Brown’s latest song, “Call Your Name,” which features Sexyy Red and GloRilla — continuing his pattern of championing the artists and collaborators he worked with up until the final weeks of his life.

A Devastated College Community

Keith’s connection to Middle Tennessee State University remained a defining part of his public identity even as his career soared to international prominence. The university’s community expressed profound grief over his death, with one segment describing the school as “shattered and devastated” by the news. Much of his early professional success was built alongside fellow MTSU graduates, including his longtime stylist and creative director, Tyland Jackson, who graduated from the university in 2019, and his public relations director, Nicholas Brownlow, who graduated that same year.

What Comes Next

Authorities have not released additional details regarding the circumstances of Keith’s death, and his official cause of death remains pending the results of a forthcoming autopsy. No additional details about Chambers’ death have been immediately released by police.

Keith leaves behind a discography that reshaped the sound of mainstream hip-hop production throughout the late 2010s and early 2020s, with his distinctive, bass-heavy trap influence audible across some of the genre’s most commercially dominant tracks. His sudden death at 29 has left collaborators, fans, and the broader music industry grappling with the loss of one of the decade’s most influential — if often unseen — architects of modern hip-hop’s biggest hits.