Tay Keith’s beats have become inescapable over the past couple years. The Memphis producer has been the driving force behind viral hits, working with everyone from Drake and Travis Scott to Beyonce and DJ Khaled. And as Tay Keith continues to pad his resume with more A-list collaborations, he is also looking to develop newer artists. Next up is fellow Memphis group, Fast Cash Boyz.
Tay Keith and the Fast Cash Boyz have known each other for over eight years, but just recently dropped their new collaborative single, “Bad Habits.” The track, which was co-produced by Murda Beatz, serves as the lead single from their forthcoming album, F*ck the Cash Up.
While the album is being marketed as a debut project, Tay Keith explains it isn’t quite that simple. “It's different now. For them, it was more than just recording. It was like the full push,” he explains. “As far as me, it's more like a collaborative project that I do with a lot of other artists. That’s why it’s kind of like both [a debut and a collaborative album].”
F*ck the Cash Up will likely be the first of multiple collaborative projects to come from Tay Keith in the future. The producer tells Complex that he’s working on more music with Blocboy JB, and they already have 50 songs recorded in the vault. He’s also working on a solo project of his own. And when asked if he’s been cooking up new music with Drake, who is currently in album mode, he replied, “You’ll see.”
Complex caught up with Tay Keith and the Fast Cash Boyz (C-Money, TP, Money, and Jizzle) via video chat in quarantine to discuss their collaborative project and future plans. The interview, lightly edited for clarity, is below.
How have you all been adjusting to the pandemic?
Tay Keith: We can’t travel like we wanted to. We can't actually be here to talk to you face to face. That's been hard to adjust to, basically not being able to move and work.
At least it hasn’t stopped you from releasing new music, though. Some artists have delayed their albums.
C-Money: It did push us back a little bit. We wasn’t going to be able to promote how we wanted to, so we had to put it on hold just a little bit. But that ain't nothing; something small to a giant.
How did the single “Bad Habits” come about?
Jizzle: We’ve got a long history. We’ve been vibing, so when we get in the studio, it don't be too forced. It just be natural. [Tay Keith] will play a beat, and one of us will catch a vibe. It’s how we make all the rest of our music. We don’t put too much pressure on it.
C-Money: With “Bad Habits,” we kind of knew as soon as we got done with the song, it had potential to be a single. So we just went with what everybody agreed on.
Tay Keith, you collaborated with Murda Beatz on the production. Can you talk about your work dynamic with him?
Tay Keith: I went to L.A. like two weeks before we had a studio session. And I pulled up on Murda Beatz at his house, and we just cooked up the whole night. The beat right there, I just knew it was going to be one of those [hits]. When I had played for Fast Cash, it was the perfect fit for them.
What about the song made it feel like the perfect single to lead with?
Money: Everybody got bad habits. Everybody can relate.
C-Money: It’s a concept that everybody can relate to. It was catchy and it was stupid hard. We put a lot of Memphis lingo on it. Memphis, we got a big platform right now, so we’re just giving a lot of lingo on it.
Would you consider this a debut album or a collaborative project?
Jizzle: Little bit of both.
Tay Keith: It’s different now. I feel like for them, it was more than just recording. It was like the full push. As far as me, it’s more like a collaborative project that I do with a lot of other artists. That’s why it’s kind of like both [a debut and collaborative album].
What was the recording atmosphere like when you guys made this?
TP: We’ve been working together so long, it was only right we did a whole project together. We all started working on music at the same time, so it was only right.
C-Money: It’s so easy for us, because we’ve been doing it for a long time. It’s just art for us. We’re so good at it—we just go in. We just make it happen. It’s a real vibe.
Jizzle: We don’t need too much. We don’t need no drugs. We don’t need nothing but Tay Keith and Fast Cash.
Tay Keith: Facts. I’ll cook up a beat, and as soon as I’m done, we’re just loading straight up. I've worked with a lot of artists and it might take a couple hours for them to make a chorus, or they might need writers or whatever, but when I’m done loading up the beat, [the Fast Cash Boyz] are going straight in.
How long have you known each other for?
Tay Keith: Probably about seven or eight years. A long time.
Jizzle: Eight plus years.
What do you want fans to take away from this project?
Tay Keith: From my perspective, what the fans can take out of this is more Memphis culture. A lot of talent is being seen in Memphis right now, and I feel like it’s their time. So I feel like they’re going to show what Memphis shit is about. It’s real authentic.
C-Money: We really know how to do this. It’s our thing. Like Tay Keith said, it's real. You’re going to hear it in the verses, what we saying is real. We either went through it or been through it.
Tay Keith: And it ain’t no bullshit music. It’s real music.
Jizzle: None of this mumble rap... No offense. No mumble rapping in 2020.
TP: I feel like when the fans listen to our music, they’ll feel like they’re with us. The way we give it to them, it’ll feel like we vibin’ or been around us.
Jizzle: We just kicking the door in a little bit, letting them know who we is.
How are you bringing attention to Memphis culture and music?
Tay Keith: Man, I feel like we are part of the whole history or growth of the Memphis culture. From us coming up, we really shaped and changed the whole Memphis scene. It wasn’t no big artists out of Memphis when we first started for the new generation.
C-Money: It wasn’t no underground artists. We was really getting slept on. We was a part of the environment back then, but I guess we’re just really in our time now.
When we named you Best Hip-Hop Producer Alive last year, you told us about a solo material you were working on, including a single with Lil Yachty and Sheck Wes. Are you still planning a solo project at some point?
Tay Keith: Yeah, I’m still working on that. That’s part of the plan right now. I don’t even know exact time, but yeah, I'm working on that for sure.
The Flip the Switch Challenge is taking over Tiktok right now because of “Nonstop.” Do you have any memories from working on that song?
Tay Keith: I can't even think of nothing too spectacular about that song. I just like how the song came back and made a full circle of just being viral again from when they first came out.
Beat battles are getting popular on Instagram Live right now. And a lot of fans have been bringing your name up when they talk about dream matchups. Do you have any plans to join the trend?
Tay Keith: I ain’t going to answer this, but I got three producers signed to me right now. We don’t feed into that. We from Memphis. That’s not my lane. I just feel like that ain’t something I’m focused on right now.
What’s one exciting thing fans should know about the rest of your year and what you have cooking up?
Fast Cash Boyz: It's going to get crazy. They finna see a lot more Fast Cash Boyz. We all fast no breaks right now.
Tay Keith, it looks like Drake is gearing up to drop a new album soon. Have you been in contact with him recently?
Tay Keith: You’ll see.
On Instagram, you recently posted, “New music on the way whenever BlocBoy JB quit holding that shit.” How much music do you guys have in the vault?
Tay Keith: Well, we’re going to do a tape, but we got, I'm going to say probably 50 songs that nobody has heard yet. And we’re still recording. We just did some last week. Me and BlocBoy got so many songs together. We got songs from when we first started. And then, we just been recording ever since then.
When we spoke with you last, you were talking about dream producers you would like to work with, like Dr. Dre and Timbaland. Have you crossed any of those off your list yet?
Tay Keith: I got to work with Mike Will Made-It. Mike Will's one of my idol producers, and I got to work with him. We made a song with Polo G and NLE Choppa, and Stunna4Vegas, “Go Stupid.” And it had a little TikTok challenge that went crazy. So that was a successful move for me to work with one of my idols and actually make a Hot 100 Billboard song. So it was successful for me.
