Prolific hip-hop producer Keith found dead in Nashville home

Tay Keith, the Memphis-born producer whose tag became familiar on some of hip-hop’s biggest records, was found dead in his Nashville apartment during a welfare check, Metro Nashville Police said. Brytavious Chambers was 29. Police said no foul play was suspected, and the cause of death was pending autopsy results.

Officers found Chambers on Martin Street in Nashville on Thursday, June 18, 2026, after checking on his welfare, according to police. The death removed one of the most prominent producers to emerge from Memphis’s recent hip-hop wave, a scene that helped drive the city’s resurgence in the late 2010s and pushed its sound deeper into the mainstream.

Keith built his reputation through work with a long list of major artists, including Travis Scott, Drake, Beyoncé, Lil Baby, Future, Eminem, Cardi B, Lil Nas X, Moneybagg Yo, Gunna and Sexyy Red. He was best known for co-producing Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE,” one of the defining rap records of its era, and that work brought him a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song from The Recording Academy.

His influence extended beyond a single hit. Keith became one of the most recognizable hitmakers of his generation, with a producer tag that sounded across charting songs and club records. In 2025, BMI named him R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year in a three-way tie with Mike Dean and GloRilla, recognition that underscored how central he had become to the current sound of commercial rap.

Chambers, who was born and raised in Memphis and later based in Nashville, stood at the intersection of two Southern music centers that have shaped modern hip-hop for decades. His death leaves behind a catalog that helped define a commercial peak for Memphis rap and gave some of the genre’s biggest artists a sound that was both immediately identifiable and built for wide release.