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Sexyy Red Asks Judge to Remove Her From Tay Keith’s Unpaid-Royalties Lawsuit
Sexyy Red asked a judge to remove her from Tay Keith’s unpaid-royalties suit, saying labels— not artists—handle payment disputes.
Sexyy Red has formally asked a judge to be taken off the unpaid-royalties lawsuit that was filed by producer Tay Keith before his death, casting the dispute as one between labels rather than artists. Her legal team filed papers this week that included a personal letter dated June 6; the documents were obtained by TMZ on July 1.
In the note addressed to the presiding judge, Sexyy pushes back against the suit and says she was unaware she had been named. “I am appalled and furthermore hurt by the allegations made,” she writes, insisting she is “merely an artist and not \”allowed to pay producers.\”” She adds that payment duties are handled by the label, not by her.
“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. 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.”
The two had collaborated on more than a dozen tracks prior to Keith’s death, including Sexyy Red’s breakout hit “Pound Town,” all of which the lawsuit claims were not properly compensated. In her letter she also says Keith previously told her she should not be listed in the suit and that she does not know why she was included as a defendant.
A representative for the late producer confirmed to the outlet that the dispute is between the respective labels and that naming Sexyy Red was a procedural step. “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,” the rep said.
Dameka Davis, who represents Sexyy Red’s label, reiterated that royalty talks are handled by labels. “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,” Davis told the outlet.
Tay Keith was found dead in Nashville on June 18 at the age of 29; a cause of death has not been released. XXL has reached out to representatives for Sexyy Red and for Tay Keith for further comment.
