Rapper Tay-K, aka Tay-K 47, gained more popularity after going to jail than when he was free. While behind bars, his songs went viral, and the hits started racking up. Many are wondering why did Tay-K go to jail. They also want to know when does Tay-K get out of jail. So, keep reading to learn the story of Tay-K, his rap career, current legal problems, and the cult of personality that began to surround him.
Charge Number 1
Born Taymor Travon McIntyre, Tay-K is a fresh-faced, 17-year-old who began rapping with songs like “Sly Cooper” and “Megaman” in 2015.
But what did Tay-K go to jail for? In a word, murder…
Tay-K was accused of being part of the Ethan Walker robbery. And according to prosecutors, the rapper and seven other individuals planned to rob Walker, who was then shot to death.
Tay-K and his alleged accomplices were arrested on July 16, 2016. He was placed under house arrest until trial. But apparently, that became boring, and Tay-K got a different idea.
Charge Number 2 and “The Race”
On March 27, 2017, Tay-K and another one of the accused reportedly cut off their ankle monitors and went on the run. Prosecutors allege that he had a stopover in San Antonio, and that Tay-K was part of the group of men who murdered Mark Anthony Saldivar in a Chick-fil-A parking lot.
He then headed northeast, eventually ending up in New Jersey, where he was caught in July. What makes the story interesting is the social media aspect behind it.
Before he went on the run, Tay-K essentially announced his intentions on Twitter with a tweet saying, “f**k dis house arrest s**t f**k 12 they gn hav 2 catch me on hood, [sic].”
And just like that, he was gone. But he wasn’t offline. Tay-K’s Twitter history shows he was regularly tweeting while avoiding the police!
He even made a track called “The Race” that explicitly mentions him going on the run. The song was released around the time he was eventually caught in New Jersey. Oh, and did we mention he also made a video for “The Race” before he was caught?
Tay-K’s social media went into overdrive, gaining followers on his various accounts. Rappers like Lil Yachty and Tyga even got in on it by doing remixes of the track.
As of this writing, “The Race” has over 16.0 million plays on Soundcloud and a massive amount of likes and shares.
The Case
So, where do we stand now? Is Tay-K out of jail? How long is Tay-K in jail for?
Well, once he was captured, his case got really serious, really fast. He is accused of murder in a state that does not take kindly to such crimes. After some additional legal proceedings when he returned from New Jersey, it was determined that Tay-K would be tried as an adult and would stay in an adult prison until trial.
In September, murder charges were laid upon Tay-K in relation to the murder of Saldivar. The rapper is now facing multiple charges stemming from a robbery, two murders, and escaping his house arrest in Texas, a state where the death penalty is still used.
None of the victims were over 25 years old. And by the time his trial ends, there’s a good chance Tay-K won’t be either.
Latest Update: Tay-K was found guilty of murder in 2019 for his role in the 2016 Ethane Walker armed robbery case that left Walker dead. The rapper was sentenced to 55 years in prison.
He was also given a 30-year sentence for one count of aggravated robbery and two 13-year prison sentences for two other counts of aggravated robbery.
On January 6, 2023, Tay-K took to Twitter and claimed he would not have received a 55-year sentence if he had been a white kid.
The young rapper said, “I bet if I was a lil white kid they wouldn’t have gave me no 55 years for a crime I was alleged to play the most insignificant role in when I was 16….they woulda rightfully argued that my mind wasn’t fully developed and gave me rehabilitation and a 2nd (1st) chance at adulthood.”
That same day, he also tweeted, “I really just need 1 chance @ adulthood.”
Tay-K claims that one of the accomplices involved in the crime was a white girl who was 16 at the time. However, she was only given 10 years probation and is now free.
He said, “One of my codefendants was a white girl who was 16 jus like me…they didn’t certify her as an adult but they certified me n pimp as adults, pimp got 30, I got 55, she ended up getting 10 years of probation without no deal…that girl @ home rn.”
The rapper, who will turn 23 in June 2023, has not tweeted after April 2, 2023.
