RAPPER Tay K shot to fame with his hit song The Race in which he talked about his life on the run from police, before he was arrested.
So, who is Tay K, what did he do, and when will he be released from jail?
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Who is Tay K?
American rapper Tay K, whose real name is Taymor Travon McIntyre, was born on June 16, 2000, in Long Beach, California.
Tay K’s dad, Kevin Beverly, spent much of his time in prison when Tay K was growing up.
But Tay K’s mom decided to move the young boy and his sister to Las Vegas, Nevada, when he was eight.
When Beverly was released from prison, the whole family moved to Arlington, Texas, in search of a better life.
This is where Tay K attended high school before dropping out in the 9th grade – which was the moment he really started focusing on his music career.
Tay K’s career started when he was just 14 as part of the Arlington-based rap group Daytona Boyz, alongside rappers Santana Sage and Pimpyz.
They released their first track called Drift in December 2014.
Eight months later in August 2015, Tay K released his solo song BIFF XANNEN on his audio distribution platform, SoundCloud.
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A month later, he also released Sly Cooper, which received considerable attention from the Arlington rap scene.
Several other of his songs, including Megaman in March 2016, became popular – but only after he was arrested on capital murder charges.
At just 17, the teen rapper released the hit The Race while a fugitive from police after escaping house arrest.
Recorded during his stay in New Jersey while on the run, the song was released on YouTube two hours after his arrest.
The Race debuted at number 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100 after a huge hashtag campaign “#FREETAYK” demanded his release from jail.
The hit peaked at number 44, before it was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA in January 2018.
Tay K has said his musical influences included Chicago-born Chief Keef, West Coast rapper Eazy-E, and Crank That hitmaker Soulja Boy.
What did Tay K do?
Tay K first got in trouble with the law on January 1, 2016, after performing a New Year’s gig in Denton, Texas.
The teen was in the car with one of his Daytona Boyz members, Eric “Santana Sage” Johnson, when Johnson shot a young woman in the head.
University of North Texas student, Sara Mutschlechner, was killed on the stop.
While Johnson pleaded not guilty, he was sentenced to 44 years in prison. Tay K was not charged in the case.
However, in July 2016, Tay K was involved in a major criminal incident after he and six people were arrested on capital murder charges related to the home invasion of a dealer in Mansfield, Texas, which resulted in his death.
Two women and Tay K conspired to enter the house by seducing 19-year-old Zachary Beloate.
Armed with guns, Tay K and a few others said they wanted to steal money and drugs.
However, the robbery turned wrong and Beloate’s friend Ethan Walker was killed after a confrontation ensued.
Tay K admitted his role in the robbery during interrogation by police.
The teen was placed under house arrest in January 2017, while he awaited court hearings.
But just a few days before the hearings on March 27, 2017, Tay K and another suspect cut off their ankle monitors before fleeing to San Antonio, Texas.
While on the run, the suspects allegedly shot dead a 23-year-old man, Mark Anthony Saldivar, during a robbery outside a Chick-fill-A in the same city.
In another incident, Tay K was identified during a line-up after 65-year-old Owney “Skip” Pepe in Cravens Park, was robbed and knocked unconscious in Arlington, Texas.
The rapper then travelled to Elizabeth in New Jersey, where he recorded the hit The Race, in which he spoke about his life on the run.
Tay K was captured on June 30, 2017, and transferred to an adult jail on July 20, 2017.
When will Tay K be released from jail?
On October 3, 2017, additional capital murder charges were added to Tay K’s case involving the incident in San Antonio, for which the rapper and his legal team wanted a juvenile status.
In February 2018, one of Tay K’s female accomplices was sentenced to 20 years in prison for capital murder and aggravated robbery charges.
Another suspect pleaded guilty, and agreed to a deal with the prosecution in which she would testify against her co-defendants – including Tay K.
A third suspect was handed a life sentence without parole for the murder of Walker.
Two other suspects were handed a 25-year and 40-year sentence, respectively, for the same charges.
On May 24, 2018, it was confirmed McIntyre was not facing the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole.
On his first day of trial on July 15, 2017, Tay K pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery in the home invasion case, but on July 19, a jury found him guilty of murder and of a third charge of aggravated robbery.
The rapper’s song The Race was used as supporting evidence during his trial.
Tay K, aged just 19, was sentenced to 55 years in prison for the murder charge, an additional 30 years for one count of aggravated robbery and a further two 13-year sentences for the other aggravated robbery charges.
Because the prison sentences will be served concurrently, Tay K will only be eligible for parole after 27.5 years – January 23, 2047.
