Music
Tay-K won’t let courtroom drama change how he feels about ‘The Race’
Nearly a decade after releasing the song that opened him up to a much broader audience, Tay-K says he still loves “The Race.” In a new interview with Complex, the rapper reflected on his breakout 2017 record and discussed how authorities later used the song against him in court.
The interview, released Wednesday, November 11, is Tay-K’s first in nearly 10 years. Now 26, the rapper spoke about the song’s place in his life and made it clear that its association with his legal troubles hasn’t changed how he feels about the music itself.
“I love that song, bro. “I ain’t gonna lie,” Tay-K told Complex. “I don’t want my feelings about my own artistic work to be defined by the way the track was used in court,” he went on.
“That’s just a song for real,” he said, adding that he wouldn’t let people who are trying to weaponize it in courtrooms make him dislike his art. He said the song should be seen as art and nothing else.
His comments show how he separates a record’s creative meaning from the controversy later attached to it. Tay-K had a huge breakout hit with “The Race” in 2017, but the song’s use in court gave it an importance that transcended its musical identity.
For the rapper, those two realities need not be mutually exclusive. He believes a song should be judged artistically, and not be completely defined by the way others want to use it. He made that distinction directly in the interview, without suggesting the record’s legal history should be ignored altogether.
The conversation also reaches a pivotal point in Tay-K’s life. The interview comes about a year after his transfer to state prison, after eight years in county jail. This is the first time he’s done a public interview in a long time, so it’s a big deal for anyone who’s been following his career and legal issues.
“The Race” remains closely tied to the events that shaped the public conversation about Tay-K, but his comments show he still sees it as a major part of his artistic work.
The rapper’s answer also reminds us that a song can take on meanings its creator may not have intended. A record may start as an act of creativity, but it may become part of a much larger public or legal discourse. Tay-K seems intent on keeping that later association from erasing how he initially viewed the music.
His recent interview does not change the circumstances of the song’s use in court, but it does clarify his own feelings on the matter. Ten years later, nearly, Tay-K still loves “The Race” and doesn’t feel its courtroom history should take away from its identity as a work of art.
Artist Spotlight
Bash Co. examines emotional imprisonment and love on “Dungeon”
Love is often seen as freedom, connection, and emotional release, and in the single “Dungeon,” Bash Co. takes a more complex look at reality, exploring what happens when an emotion becomes a prison. The song has been described as a darker take on “Velvet” and is part of an artistic duality between opposing emotional states. “Dungeon” explores being trapped by feelings that should otherwise bring freedom.
The song tells a story of emotional entrapment, fractured communication, and a broken inner state. Bash Co. examines how difficult it can be to shake attachment and emotional intensity. This picture fits with the song’s theme of pain and imprisonment.
The recording process also unexpectedly influenced the final direction. “Dungeon” was written on an acoustic octave guitar, inspired by a series of technical setbacks that helped Bash Co. hone in on the mood he was seeking. Those struggles could’ve thrown him off his game, but instead he used the experience to get closer to the suffocating character that the song’s lyrical concept demanded.
This is especially relevant to the release’s identity. The emotional side is also offered as a philosophical exploration, not as personal history. “Dungeon” would suit “Velvet” much better, and the two pieces explore the dichotomy between emotional freedom and constraint, providing a wider context for Bash Co.’s creative direction. The two releases are divided by a study of how the same emotional terrain can lead to very different experiences.
Music
Young Thug, YSL Win in Court in Lil Wayne Tour Bus Shooting Lawsuit from 10 Years Ago
Young Thug and his label, YSL, have been dismissed from the lawsuit over the 2015 shooting of Lil Wayne’s tour bus, another major development in a decade-long legal battle. The move follows Birdman and Cash Money Records being dropped from the same lawsuit.
Judge Eric A. Brewton threw Young Thug out of the case, Billboard reports, because there was no evidence to prove an employment relationship between the rapper and the shooter named in the lawsuit, PeeWee Roscoe. The court found insufficient evidence to support the claim that Roscoe was acting for Thug.
The lawsuit was filed by Alvin Lewis, who was Lil Wayne’s tour bus driver at the time of the 2015 shooting. Lewis named several parties in the lawsuit, including Young Thug, YSL, Birdman, and Cash Money Records.
A central part of Lewis’ allegations was that Roscoe acted on behalf of Young Thug. But the court’s ruling suggests that the evidence did not establish the connection that Lewis was trying to draw between the rapper and the shooter.
The judge’s emphasis on the absence of an employment relationship was especially important in reaching the decision. There wasn’t enough proof tying Roscoe to Thug in that role, so the court ruled that the rapper should be out of the lawsuit.
Birdman and Cash Money Records were also dismissed from the case. The judge said there was not enough evidence to link Birdman to the shooting in their case, including information that he was not in the same state when it happened.
The ruling is the latest setback for Lewis in his ongoing case stemming from the 2015 incident. A lawsuit that once involved several big names in hip-hop has seen those defendants dropped after the court weighed the evidence.
The development offers a significant legal break for Young Thug and YSL from a lawsuit that has been active for years. The ruling doesn’t change the history of the shooting itself, but it does change the rapper’s and the organization’s legal standing regarding Lewis’ accusations.
It is important to distinguish between the dismissal and a finding on all issues in the original incident. From what we know, the ruling concerns whether enough evidence linked Young Thug to Roscoe’s actions through an employment relationship.
The case has garnered attention because of its link to Lil Wayne and other celebrities who were originally named in the lawsuit. With Young Thug and YSL now removed, alongside Birdman and Cash Money Records, the legal dispute has taken another major turn.
“The decision is a hard development for Lewis in a case that started ten years ago. The defendants who were dismissed have won a major court victory.
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