Tay K’s Case Demonstrates Racial Injustice In The Criminal Justice System

Presently serving a 55-year sentence at San Antonio’s Bexar County Adult Detention Center, Tay-K took to his Instagram to share a handwritten letter for fans on March 31. The incarcerated rapper also pointed out that he’s never lived outside the jail as an adult.


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Updated By: Nadya Nataly (4/6/23 at 3:02 pm)

Long Beach, Calif. rapper Tay-K took to Instagram to share a handwritten letter for fans. In the letter, featuring graffiti and a drawing of the earth, he mentions his 55-year sentence and his last five-and-a-half years in the detention center. 

Tay-K’s Letter To Fans

Tay-K, real name Taymor Travon McIntyre, said he was 16 during his trial, where he was tried as an adult. “It’s still crazy to me that I never had a chance to live outside as an adult,” he said in the letter. “I’ve been locked up and in and out of the ‘justice’ and CPS system for my whole life.”

Stepping into his sixth year since the July 2016 murder and robbery, Tay-K maintains his innocence, though he was found guilty in July 2019.

“Not sure if y’all know,” the letter read. “But I got sentenced as an adult to 55 years in prison for a crime where I wasn’t even the shooter. I wasn’t even alleged to have a gun. I was never even suspected to have pulled a trigger or hurt anyone.”

He was one of the six defendants that participated in the home invasion. An unidentified white woman, who, like “The Race” rapper, was 16 in 2016, was initially charged with home invasion and two counts of aggravated robbery. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to ten years probation for her involvement. 

“I bet if I was a lil White kid, they wouldn’t have [given] me no 55 years for a crime,” Tay-K decried his co-defendant’s “deal” on Jan. 5 in a Twitter post, in comparison to his sentence. “I was alleged to play the most insignificant role when I was 16.”

Tay-K and six others were accused of breaking into Ethan Walker’s home in Mansfield, Texas. Walker and his friend Zachary Beloate were brutally attacked during the robbery, which ended with the fatal shooting of Walker.

“Regardless of my situation the movement is eternal. #RR4L. Perpetually, TAY-K,” the rapper signed off.

But not before noting his focus on leading by example and using his success to positively impact other artists.

“I love my fans,”  I don’t want anyone to think I’m promoting or really recommending violence. That’s why I really dedicate a lot of my time in here to using the success of my music to have a positive impact on other young artist, even if it’s something small like taking a phone call or writing a letter to keep them positively inspired.”

Tay K Claims 55-Year Conviction Charge Was Racially Motivated + Fans’ Responses

Rapper Tay K, on Jan. 5, weighed in on his recent 55-year conviction charge. The 22-year-old questioned his case on Twitter after he was found guilty of his involvement in a 2016 murder and robbery.

The California artist shared on Twitter, saying he “really just needs one chance at adulthood.”

Tay was found guilty of the murder and aggravated robbery of 21-year-old Ethan Walker in July 2019. 

“I bet if I was a lil white kid, they wouldn’t have [given] me no 55 years for a crime,” he posted on Twitter. “I was alleged to play the most insignificant role when I was 16.”

He continued, “One of my co-defendants was a white girl who was 16, just like me,” the post read. “They didn’t certify her as an adult, but they certified me [and] Pimp [fellow artist Pimpyz] as adults. Pimp got 30 [years]. I got 55 [years]. She ended up getting 10 years of probation without [a] deal.”

Twitter users were on both sides of the fence following “The Race” artist’s statements. 

One user mentioned that Tay deserves his sentence by stating his past crimes, including allegedly killing two people and robbing an elderly man. 

Another user came to his defense by referencing the songs he has made. 

Gucci Mane Calls Out President Biden & VP Harris After Pooh Shiesty’s Arrest

In a related story, Gucci Mane vented on Twitter on how the hardships prisoners face after his homeboy Pooh Shiesty was arrested back in Dec. 2022 for his connection to a Memorial Day shooting in Miami. 

He tagged President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and called for change to the jail Pooh was sentenced to, the federal United States Penitentiary in Pollock, Louisiana.

Originally Written By: Michael Omoruan (1/6/23 at 6:52 pm)