Exactly one year ago today, Lil Tjay was rushed into emergency, life-saving surgery at a New Jersey hospital after being shot seven times. The 22-year-old has shared a new single, dubbed "June 22nd," outlining the experience. He reflects on the events leading up to the shooting, taking an introspective approach to the tragedy. The new single is also joined by a dramatic accompanying music video, which sees Lil Tjay reliving "June 22nd."
Only months after the shooting, he also addressed the experience on his song "Beat The Odds." It details how Lil Tjay is "grateful" to have survived. “Seven shots, it was tough, you know?,” Lil Tjay told fans on Instagram. He explained, “Most people don’t survive it, but I’m here. Here for a reason.”
Read More: Lil Tjay Seemingly Involved In Backstage Beef At Hot 97 Summer Jam: Video
Lil Tjay Reflects On Being Shot
Lil Tjay takes listeners through the sequence of events that took place before he was shot on "June 22nd." In the song, he also reveals that the shooting occurred right after he met Ice Spice at a recording studio. The two were likely in talks at the time about a potential collaboration, which may have eventually materialized into their song "Gangsta Boo."
Earlier this month, Lil Tjay was arrested for brandishing a fake gun out of a car's sunroof in New York City for a music video. He is shown in the video for "June 22nd" poking out of a sunroof, though there's no gun to be seen. Regardless, this could have been the project that landed him behind bars for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Read More: Lil Tjay & Ice Spice Perform “Gangsta Boo” Live For The First Time In NYC: Video
Quotable Lyrics:
Woke up in the morning, paranoid, my heater tucked
It's a calm day, time to tee it up
I called the plug, told him, "I'ma need some drink"
He said you want Trish or Keisha, I said "N***a, what you think?"
Got fired point blank, seven more, might faint
In the stu', grind mo', this the picture I'ma paint
