He is a baby-faced teen rapper facing a death penalty murder case. But the 17-year-old artist known as Tay-K is quickly becoming one of the hottest sensations in hip hop and blurring the line between rap music and real life.
Tay-K’s real-life race was with the U.S. Marshals fugitive task force, which labeled him a violent fugitive. In late March, facing a murder charge as a juvenile, he hit the road. For three months, he was making music about being on the run while actually being on the run.
In my exclusive interview with his high-powered entertainment attorney, James McMillan told me Tay-K (https://twitter.com/TAYK47USA) is first and foremost a very young but focused artist.
“Clearly he took a risk by clipping his ankle bracelet and going on the run,” McMillan said. “But simultaneously he had the awareness to make a video and song at the same time.”
On June 30, 2017, the day he was captured by U.S. marshals in New Jersey, Tay-K’s manager released “The Race” song and video. It went viral, racking up more than 40 million views. The song is so popular it broke into the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“This generation of kids, they’re really savvy about and aware of technology, and appearance,” McMillan said. “And how you can affect the world basically by the press of a button with one visual, one song.”
Taymor “Tay-K” McIntyre’s legal problems are much more complicated. He is charged along with six others in a home invasion that left a 21-year-old man dead. He is also reportedly implicated in another murder while on the run, as well as the brutal assault of a 65-year-old man. Former prosecutor and now a criminal defense attorney Charles Tucker Jr. said “The Race” video could be used in court and the gun play depicted in it especially could hurt his case. ”
Anytime you have a video that looks like it possibly could relate to criminal charges, obviously it’s not something you like to have a defendant involved in,” Tucker said.
Tay-K’s criminal attorney Trent Loftin told Street Soldiers: “Mr. McIntyre wholeheartedly denies these charges and allegations against him… and his entire legal team look forward to our future trial and maintain our innocence. We are certain when all of the evidence is presented, Mr. McIntyre will be exonerated.”
A judge ruled he must be tried as an adult, making the stakes that much higher.
“It’s now a death penalty case based on the serious charges that are now facing him in Texas,” Tucker said.
Whatever the outcome of his legal problems, Tay-K may already have made his mark as a part of a new age of gangsta rap, said Rob Markman, who just dropped his first EP “Write to Dream.” “It’s just in your face, there’s almost nothing poetic about it,” Markman said. “16-, 17-year-old kid, very jarring.”
It is possible rap could turn out to be Tay-K’s redemption. He has vowed that if he beats the charges, he will stop robbing and earn his money in legit ways. Right now behind bars, he is raking in about $2,000 a day from all the video views, his attorney said.
–LISA EVERS