Sexyy Red’s letter to a judge is now shedding more light on where she says she stood in the royalty dispute involving late Grammy nominated producer Tay Keith. According to TMZ, Sexyy Red sent the emotional note on June 6, 2026, just days before Tay Keith died, after learning she had been named as a defendant in a lawsuit tied to unpaid music royalties.
The situation is delicate because Tay Keith was not just another name in Sexyy Red’s credits. The Memphis hitmaker helped shape some of the records that pushed her sound into a bigger national conversation, including the viral breakout “Pound Town.” Tay Keith’s lawsuit claimed he worked on 13 songs for Sexyy in 2024 and alleged he had not been paid for those contributions.
In the Sexyy Red letter, she denied being the person responsible for paying producers and made it clear that she believed the issue belonged with the business side of the music operation. She told the court she had only recently learned she was included in the lawsuit and wrote, “I am appalled and furthermore hurt by the allegations made.”
Sexyy Red also said she was an artist who was not “allowed to pay producers.” In her version of events, those payments are handled by the record label, not by her personally. That distinction matters in a music business dispute because artist relationships and label obligations can look very different once paperwork, accounting, recoupment, and royalty splits enter the conversation.
Her letter also leaned into the personal bond she says she had with Tay Keith. “Tay Keith and I are great working partners and even greater friends. If the label owes him money, I’m sure they have started the process to get him paid,” she wrote. The line pushes back against any idea that the disagreement was rooted in bad blood between the two collaborators.
The Sexyy Red letter continued with her own experience inside the same payment system.
“There are several songs that Tay Keith and I have worked on together that I haven’t received payment for yet. It’s just a process the label uses in making payments after all the monies are recouped.” Her point was not that money was not owed, but that she believed the process was controlled by the label and tied to recoupment.
Sexyy Red claimed Tay Keith told her he was not sure why she had been named as a defendant. She asked the judge to remove her name from the case immediately. A representative for Tay Keith and the record label also told TMZ that Sexyy Red should not have been added as a defendant.
Attorney Dameka Davis, who represents the label, told the outlet, “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.” The label, Rebel Music, which is distributed by Gamma, said the royalty issues were being addressed in the weeks before Tay Keith’s death.
A representative for Tay Keith gave a similar explanation, saying, “The dispute is between the parties’ respective labels, and naming Sexyy Red in the lawsuit was a legal formality. Any allegations are directed at the label, not Red personally.” That statement lines up with the broader framing from both sides that the case was not meant to attack Sexyy Red as an individual artist.
The earlier TMZ report on the legal battle said Tay Keith sued Sexyy Red’s label in March 2026, claiming he produced 13 songs for her in 2024, including “Pound Town.” He also alleged that the label would not provide accounting records for the revenue generated by the songs, which he said prevented him from collecting his share of royalties.
That same report said the parties were working toward a resolution before Tay Keith died. Davis told TMZ at the time, “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.”
A rep for Tay Keith added, “The dispute is between the parties’ respective labels, and naming Sexyy Red in the lawsuit was a legal formality. Any allegations are directed at the label, not Red personally. Both labels have been cooperating, and the matter is close to being resolved. Tay and Red remained friends, and he considered her a sister. They were in the studio together as recently as last week working on new music. We appreciate Red’s sentiments and condolences during this difficult time.”
Tay Keith, born Brytavious Chambers, died at 29. Metro Nashville Police said he was found dead in his apartment during a welfare check and that no foul play was suspected. His cause of death was pending autopsy results.
For fans, the Sexyy Red letter adds an emotional layer to a legal dispute that was already heavy because it surfaced around Tay Keith’s sudden passing. The business question now appears to be centered on the labels, while Sexyy Red is publicly positioned by both her side and Tay Keith’s side as someone who maintained a close creative relationship with him.
