The tragic passing of Tay Keith elicited many tributes from his hip-hop peers, including from frequent collaborator Sexyy Red. However, this tribute fell under scrutiny due to a lawsuit he launched over unpaid royalties connected to their collaborations, which both camps have since clarified.
According to TMZ, Sexyy herself wrote a letter to the judge overseeing this case against her label. This was on June 6, just under two weeks before the producer's passing. The letter disputes the allegations and blasts her inclusion as a codefendant, expressing she feels "appalled and furthermore hurt" by the accusations.
The St. Louis femcee said she's just an artist that was not "allowed to pay producers," which is a record label responsibility. "Tay Keith and I are great working partners and even greater friends. If the label owes him money, I'm sure they have started the process to get him paid," she reportedly wrote.
"There are several songs that Tay Keith and I have worked on together that I haven't received payment for yet," Sexyy reportedly continued. "It's just a process the label uses in making payments after all the monies are recouped."
Also, she reportedly claimed Keith expressed confusion to her over her inclusion in the lawsuit, and she asked the court to remove her from the proceedings. The lawsuit claimed Tay hadn't received anything for 13 collaborations in 2024.
Tay Keith & Sexyy Red Case
Sexyy Red's camp responded to this. "Royalty negotiations are handled by labels - not artists - and I’ve worked closely with the legal counsel and team for Tay Keith to finalize the royalty agreement to fully compensate him for his valuable contributions as a musical collaborator with Sexyy," Rebel Music's attorney Dameka Davis stated. "In fact, we were in the final stages of getting Tay Keith fully compensated before his shocking passing this week. We are expediting the finalization of this work with Tay Keith’s attorney so that full payment can be made to his estate as soon as possible."
Tay Keith's camp also addressed this issue. "The dispute is between the parties’ respective labels," a representative stated. "Naming Sexyy Red in the lawsuit was a legal formality. Any allegations are directed at the label, not Red personally. Both labels have been cooperating, and the matter is close to being resolved. Tay and Red remained friends and he considered her a sister. They were in the studio together as recently as last week working on new music. We appreciate Red’s sentiments and condolences during this difficult time."
Read More: The 25 Best Rap Albums Of 2026 So Far
