The tragic loss of Tay Keith this week has led to a slew of tributes from the hip-hop world, including from Sexyy Red. However, this tribute turned out to be a controversial one due to unverified Internet allegations that her label owed him money for some of their many collaborations.
As caught by The Jasmine Brand on Instagram, Sexyy posted a clip of a music video of hers featuring the producer with a prayer hands emoji and a cat hands emoji. "BLOOD IN BLOOD OUT WE BROTHERS BUT NOT RELATED," she wrote in another tribute post on her IG. "I LOVE YOU BRUDDAAA @taykeith STILL DA BEST DUO US 5LIFE."
TJB caught some comments from the femcee's posts from fans claiming her label owed Keith money. Some blamed her directly, whereas others placed responsibility for an alleged lack of royalties, payment, and other factors on her label and other industry forces. It's important to note that neither party publicly spoke out about this in the past, and Red hasn't addressed this backlash at press time.
Sexyy Red's label, Rebel Music, has since responded to these allegations with an official statement from attorney Dameka Davis. Fans will be happy to know that the situation will be resolved shortly.
Per Davis:
“Sexyy Red is overwhelmed with grief at the devastating loss of her dear friend and artistic collaborator, Tay Keith. Tay was a brilliant artist, and through his close musical partnership with Sexyy, he became a genuine friend to everyone at Rebel. We send our sincerest condolences to Tay Keith’s family and loved ones.
As the attorney for Rebel, I want to step forward to correct the record on false, irresponsible, and deeply hurtful clickbait being spread on social media about royalty arrangements with Tay Keith.
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. 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 Relationship With Sexyy Red
Previously, Tay Keith spoke glowingly of Sexyy Red, praising their dynamic and flaunting their chemistry. In fact, he told Billboard about the backlash he faced for collaborating with Sexyy, backlash he had absolutely no problem disproving and ridiculing.
"People were trolling the s**t out of me," the late producer had remarked. "They were real-deal trolling me. It wasn’t much good feedback. It was coming from even people around me, ‘What you doing?’ I saw the potential. That’s as simple as it was, me believing in her. I think people doubted me working with her. Because they didn’t see the reason to do it. I definitely seen the potential. I tell people all the time how long I was watching Sexyy Red’s music before she blew up."
For those unaware, Tay Keith tragically passed away yesterday (Thursday, June 18) due to unknown causes at press time. Police in Nashville reportedly found him yesterday afternoon during a welfare check.
Rest In Peace to the Memphis creative.
