Between his breakout single "The Race" going viral and his ongoing, extremely serious legal issues, Tay-K has emerged as an interesting and controversial figure in rap. Before "The Race" dropped, Tay-K was participating in a house robbery that sadly ended in blood. After the murder of twenty-one year old Ethan Walker, Tay-K was placed on house arrest. He eventually took matters into his own hands, cutting off his ankle bracelet and going on the run. He was eventually arrested, and identified in an alarming number of increasing crimes. In fact, Tay-K's involvement in various murders is undeniably chilling. So much so that the seventeen year old Dallas rapper will be tried as an adult when he heads to court for his capital murder charges.
The fact that Tay-K is simultaneously a viral rap sensation and a hardened young criminal creates somewhat of a moral dilemma. Is it okay to enjoy someone's music, even if they have done some truly heinous things? It begs the question of whether or not an artist should be judged exclusively on the merits of their work, without letting any personal bias (justified or otherwise) influence one's decision. The conundrum has been present in the art world for centuries, but in a genre that speaks of violence so casually, is it really a surprise that an artist is out there doing what so many are rapping about? Ultimately, people can draw their own conclusions, and perhaps it's okay to feel some type of way about Tay-K as a person, while still enjoying his music.
Now that that's been said, we may as well get to the young rapper's catalog. Everyone has probably heard "The Race" by now (it currently sits at 34 million views on Youtube), but Tay-K's official project Santana's World features a fair share of other notable tracks. If you're looking to see what all the hype is about, and maybe draw your own conclusions on dude's music, here are five Tay-K highlights that aren't "The Race."
Megaman
Murder She Wrote
Dat Way
I <3 My Choppa
Lemonade