Although Memphis producer Tay Keith has already made his mark on the rap game since the mid-2010s — crafting hits like BlocBoy JB‘s “Look Alive,” Travis Scott and Drake‘s “SICKO MODE” and Drake’s “Nonstop” — he is still looking to elevate his stature.
On April 22, the iconic “f**k these n****s up” instrumentalist recruited, likely, the hottest artists in the game, rapping Gunna and Lil Durk to headline his first single as an artist, “Lights Off.”
The song sees Tay Keith shift into more of a guitar-driven, toned down instrumental compared to his aggressive, fiery production. This atmosphere is certainly more suitable for Gunna and Durk, as they have built exceptional chemistry as of late, most notably on their March smash hit “What Happened To Virgil.”
Gunna does most of the heavy lifting on “Lights Off,” gliding on the hook and first verse as he spits about wanting to get he and his crew iced out — donning custom watches from Eliante and two-tone Prezis.
Restaurant, I dine in, I want light sauce (Light sauce)
Twinklin’, that’s my diamonds, yeah, when the lights off (Yeah)
My third eye always watching, these n****s fake and phony (Phony)
Grind hard, every one of my homies gettin’ an iced out Rollie (Iced out Rollie)
“Lights Off” — Tay Keith featuring Gunna, Lil Durk
For Lil Durk’s portion, which is solely the second verse on the track, he deviates from Gunna’s low-key flow with trademark vocal inflections and crooning — rapping about how influential he is on his “block” and the thorough support system he tries to surround himself with.
I’m a gangster, take care of my block, I’m like my daddy
I ain’t gon’ lie, surrounded by some killers, I can’t go live
I ain’t gon’ lie, fightin’ a murder with a public defendant, you better not try
I need a trapper b*tch, I ain’t tryna trap a b*tch, runnin’ her mouth and shit
“Lights Off” — Tay Keith featuring Gunna, Lil Durk
As an official entrance as an artist and curator, on top of just being a producer, “Lights Off” does a quality job in validating Tay Keith’s artistry. Quite simply, it’s hard to go wrong with having either Gunna or Durk on your song.
Check out “Lights Off” by Tay Keith below!
