The 29-year-old hip-hop producer was found dead in his Nashville apartment in June after police conducted a welfare check.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer Tay Keith died from the toxic effects of ketamine and several compounds associated with kratom, according to an autopsy report released nearly three months after his death. Medical officials ruled the 29-year-old producer’s death an accident.
Keith, whose legal name was Brytavious Lakeith Chambers, was found dead June 18 inside his Nashville apartment after Metro Nashville police officers responded for a welfare check. Police said at the time that foul play was not suspected and that an autopsy would determine how he died. The newly released medical findings provide the first official explanation of his death.
According to the Nashville medical examiner findings reported by ABC News, Keith’s cause of death involved toxicity from mitragynine, 7-hydroxy mitragynine, mitragynine pseudoindoxyl and ketamine. Mitragynine and related compounds are associated with kratom. The medical examiner classified the manner of death as accidental and described the circumstances as the toxic effects of drugs.
Other reporting on the autopsy said ethanol and nicotine were also detected in Keith’s system and that he had mild coronary artery disease. Those findings were noted separately from the substances identified in the medical examiner’s stated cause of death. Officials have not publicly detailed the circumstances in which Keith consumed the substances or provided evidence that his death resulted from intentional self-harm.
Keith was already one of hip-hop’s most prominent producers when he died. Raised in Memphis, Tennessee, he became widely known through his early work with rapper BlocBoy JB before producing records for some of the industry’s biggest artists. His credits included work with Drake, Travis Scott, Beyoncé, Eminem, Lil Baby and Sexyy Red.
His production on Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” helped earn Keith a Grammy nomination for best rap song in 2019. He received another nomination in the same category in 2024 for Drake and 21 Savage’s “Rich Flex.” Other major records associated with his career included Drake’s “Nonstop” and “First Person Shooter,” as well as BlocBoy JB’s “Look Alive.”
Keith also received repeated recognition from Broadcast Music Inc. BMI named him R&B/Hip-Hop Producer of the Year in 2019, 2023 and 2024. At the organization’s 2024 awards, BMI cited his production work on songs including “First Person Shooter,” Travis Scott’s “Meltdown,” Sexyy Red’s “SkeeYee” and Drake and 21 Savage’s “Circo Loco.” He had previously been named BMI’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songwriter of the Year in 2018.
Beyond his work in recording studios, Keith attended Middle Tennessee State University and graduated in 2018. He later expanded his work through DRUMATIZED, a music company and creative platform that supported collaborations across hip-hop and other genres. BMI said after his death that his career included 11 Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and four No. 1 records.
News of Keith’s death in June prompted tributes from artists, collaborators and music organizations. His family said after his death that they knew him not only as Tay Keith but as Brytavious, describing him as a loved son, brother, uncle, relative and friend. The family said his legacy would continue through his music, the opportunities he created and the people he affected during his career.
The medical examiner’s ruling closes one of the major unanswered questions surrounding Keith’s death. Authorities have continued to describe the death as accidental, and Metro Nashville police have not announced evidence of foul play. No additional official investigation or proceeding related to his death had been publicly announced as of Friday.
Author note: Last updated September 18, 2026.