Hypefresh first reported on the Memphis-born producer’s death in June, and has separately covered Sexyy Red’s lawsuit against him and his memorial service in Memphis. This article has been updated to reflect the official cause-of-death finding released Thursday.
Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer Tay Keith died from the toxic effects of multiple drugs, including ketamine, mitragynine, 7-hydroxy mitragynine and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, according to an autopsy report from the Nashville Medical Examiner’s Office released Thursday. His death was ruled accidental, according to ABC News, which first reported the medical examiner’s findings.
Mitragynine is the primary active alkaloid in kratom, a tropical evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia whose leaves interact with the brain’s opioid receptors. The medical examiner did not specify whether Keith intentionally used kratom or how the mitragynine entered his system.
Keith, whose full name was Brytavious Lakeith Chambers, was found dead inside his Nashville apartment on June 18, 2026. He was 29. Metro Nashville Police officers discovered his body during a welfare check, per an XXL report citing a WSMV 4 Nashville affiliate dispatch. No foul play was suspected.
Keith was born on September 20, 1996, in Memphis, Tennessee. He began making beats as a teenager and rose to prominence through collaborations with fellow Memphis artist BlocBoy JB. His breakthrough came in 2018 with production on Drake’s “Nonstop,” BlocBoy JB and Drake’s “Look Alive,” and Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” — the last of which earned Tay Keith, as one of its producers, a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in February 2019.
He received a second Grammy nomination in the same category at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2024 for Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex,” where he is credited as Brytavious Chambers among the song’s producers. Keith also produced tracks for Eminem, BeyoncĂ© (“Before I Let Go” from her live Homecoming album), Sexyy Red, Lil Baby and Cardi B.
He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 2018, later opened his Drumatized studio and label in the Nashville area, and in 2021 was named an honorary professor at his alma mater. In a statement after his death, Keith’s family described him as “a visionary producer, songwriter, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and cultural force whose work helped define the sound of a generation.”
Artists including Drake, Sexyy Red and Travis Scott publicly mourned the loss, with BlocBoy JB, Mike WiLL Made-It, Juicy J and The Alchemist among others posting condolences. Keith was laid to rest in his hometown of Memphis on June 30, 2026, with Sexyy Red and BlocBoy JB in attendance; he left behind a substantial estate that included vehicles, property interests, music publishing and royalties, and court filings examined the estate in the weeks that followed.
