My Music Journal

Everett Loves Music

The home of all my music thoughts & reccomendations.

June 19, 2026· Issue 5

Rest In Peace Tay Keith

Tay Keith was a Memphis producer who passed away on June 18, 2026. He was BlocBoy JB’s go-to producer, and in 2018 they secured a Drake feature on Look Alive, which changed their lives forever. If I remember correctly, Drake announced he was dropping a music video with BlocBoy JB at a time when no one knew who he was, we just wanted new drake. It was an instant hit and EVERYONE started doing that dance. You really couldn’t go a day without seeing someone do it. In addition to the dance, Tay Keith’s tag and riser sfx instantly became recognizable as his signature sounds. His tag quickly reached the same tier of recognition that other hot producers like: Ronny J, CashMoneyAp, Mike WiLL Made-It, Murda Beatz, and TakeADayTrip.

Even though he was the hottest producer in 2018, he faced heavy criticism in the community for his beats being ‘too simple’ and ‘too repetitive’. I can understand where they’re coming from, but Tay Keith’s ear proved to be his true talent as he was able to evolve his sound and continue to make hits year after year. After blowing up with Look Alive, Drake continued to make countless hits with Tay Keith. Some songs include: Sicko Mode, Never Recover, Nonstop, and Over The Top. He went on to work with many other artists to keep producing hits. Slowly, over the last few years, his relavancy appeared to be fading. But his career would see another peak by producing breakout hits for Sexyy Redd. To name a few, he did: Pound Town, Get it Sexyy, SkeeYee, and Bow Bow Bow. On top of all that, he stayed loyal and produced a couple of the diss tracks for Drake and at least one song on all his new albums. Outside of Drake and Sexyy Redd, EVERY CHANCE I GET and STOOPID were big songs produced by Tay Keith.

If I were to give him a nickname, it would be: Tay “Strike-While-The-Iron’s-Hot” Keith. Rest in peace to one of my favorite producers. Check out some of my favorites that don’t get enough love below.

Temptation by Future

Temptation·Future

Song of the year potential

Not only is this my most played song of 2019, this is my most played song since I've had Apple Music. This is largely due to Tay Keith's production.

Promise U That by Future

Promise U That·Future

Song of the year potential

I imagine this song being temptation's twin brother. This beat is very similar, but the lyrics and chorus are slightly stronger.

Really Like That by G Herbo

Really Like That·G Herbo

I love this + on repeat

This is different from a typical Tay Keith beat and I love it.

In here fuckin' with Tay Keith, but like Tay-K, I did the race (Yuh)
— I love when rappers shout out the producer in songs
Shout out my lil' mans, call him Xan 'cause he slump niggas (Slump niggas)
I might pull up Ghost, Rolls, I been bought the truck, nigga
Know you know that sayin', if it's up there then it's stuck, nigga (Stuck)
Hit 'em in his head, he ain't get up but he stuck, nigga (He stuck)
— There was a moment in time when you couldn't avoid some variation of: up and it's stuck
Same Thing by Lil Baby

Same Thing·Lil Baby

I love this + on repeat

One of the best songs on Lil Baby's best album? Absolutely. This beat has all the elements you'd expect from Tay Keith on its own, but at a faster tempo than usual, it feels like a fresh sound.

Mother’s Daughter by Miley Cyrus

Mother’s Daughter·Miley Cyrus

In rotation

There was a brief, and I mean brief, time where Miley Cyrus perfectly balanced her hip hop experiment with making good music. It was here on this ep. It might get lost in her discography, but I'd recommend listening to this 6 song ep if you haven't already. She knew to start it off with the strongest track here. Also, no surprise that this is one of the few songs you won't hear Tay Keith's iconic tag.