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Lil Tay

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Not to be confused with Lil Tjay.

Lil Tay
Born
Tay Tian

(2007-07-29) July 29, 2007 (age 17)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Nationality
  • American
  • Canadian
Occupations
Years active
  • 2017–2018
  • 2023–present
AgentJason Tian
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar[1]

Tay Tian (born July 29, 2007),[2][3] known professionally as Lil Tay, is an American-born Canadian internet personality and musician. She first came to prominence in early 2018 at the age of ten (while claiming to be nine years old), when content depicting her boasting about being wealthy and calling herself "the youngest flexer of the century", as well as videos of her rapping, were published and viewed millions of times on YouTube and Instagram.[4][5] Her social media accounts became inactive after three months when her father applied to the superior court of Canada for full custody and control of her career as an influencer; full custody would eventually be granted to her mother. In 2023, Tay was the subject of widespread media coverage after a false statement announcing she had died was published from her Instagram account.[6][7] Later that year, she released a single, "Sucker 4 Green".[8]

Early and personal life

Tay Tian was born on July 29, 2007,[2][3] to Angela Tian, a former real estate agent, and Christopher J. Hope, a lawyer.[9][10] She was originally from Atlanta, Georgia, United States, before moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, at an early age.[5][11][12] Her parents, who never married, shared custody of Tay.[13]

On September 12, 2024, an announcement was posted to Tian’s social media platforms stating she was in the ICU in “critical condition” and was diagnosed with a heart tumor.[14]

Career

Social media beginning

Tay became well known in early 2018 and was popular on platforms for a period of three months.[5][13] She first rose to prominence through her presence on social media sites like Instagram by posting pictures of herself in luxury vehicles while wearing designer clothes.[5][15] She began showing off her luxurious lifestyle, and "flexing" as well as posting rap videos on YouTube which garnered millions of views.[5]

While her popularity was growing, Tay's mother Angela Tian came in contact with talent managers in Los Angeles, California.[13] Tay, her mother and 16-year-old half-brother Jason moved from Tay's hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia to live in Los Angeles. According to the Atlantic she was homeschooled in Los Angeles,[5] though her father instead said she missed 72 days of school while living there.[16]

Coaching allegations and silence

It was reported that Tay's older half-brother Jason was in control of her social media accounts.[17][18] As Tay's actions became more public, Tay's mother, Angela Tian, faced criticism online for allowing her young daughter to create rap videos with crude language.[19] Amid controversy and speculation that her actions were forced by her mother, Tay defended her mother in an interview on Good Morning America, saying she was not forcing Tay to act this way and that she was content with her actions.[20][21]

In a May 2018 interview with BuzzFeed News, Tay's mother stated that Jason directed the videos and managed social media accounts, with the article being released amidst a reportedly leaked video of the older half-brother coaching Tay on what to say in her video.[21][22] Jason, who apparently directed Tay's videos, was described by Business Insider as "reportedly domineering"[23] while an article in The Atlantic cited someone close to Tay stating "I've seen her brother shout at her. Once Jason was yelling at her, saying, 'You're no good, it's no good.' She was crying hard".[13] It was also reported that Tay's mother, a real estate agent, allowed Tay and Jason to record their videos in luxurious homes she was working with and used her boss' Mercedes-Benz 550 SL to portray themselves as being owners, all of which was allegedly done without the permission of her employer.[13][21] Tay's controversial videos and reputation ultimately resulted in her mother losing her job.[23]

Summarizing the controversy, Vox wrote:[13]

This wasn’t quite the classic story of a stage mom, though; instead, Lil Tay had a stage brother. Jason, then 16, was the only one who had access to her Instagram account. He was the one who coached Lil Tay on what to say and how to say it, having studied famous YouTubers in previous attempts to get famous himself. According to reports, he was often harsh and cruel, and on at least one instance prompted her to say racial slurs.

Familial conflict

Accurate information about Tay has been difficult to confirm as she reportedly never had direct control of her public image, Vox wrote.[13] An apparent familial conflict between Tay, her mother and half-brother against Tay's father Christopher Hope and Tay's manager Harry Tsang occurred after Tay left social media, according to The Guardian.[17] Tay's father and manager sought for Tay to become more focused on professionalism, suggesting a music career for her, though her mother and half-brother encouraged her to continue her original boastful character.[13][16] It was then reported that Tay's father received a court order to return Tay to Vancouver and to cease content placement on Instagram;[13] he stated that Tay missed 72 days of school after moving to Los Angeles.[16] In June 2018, Tay's Instagram and YouTube videos had their content abruptly deleted in an attempt to "rebrand" her image.[23] New York reported that Tay's father sought to help Tay achieve a more professional career, looking to have her name trademarked, and to have a trust created for her earnings.[13]

Following the court order, Tay's Instagram account was used to make unsubstantiated allegations of abuse against her father in October 2018; Tay's mother denied reports that Jason was responsible and instead said that this occurred due to a hacking event, sharing a purported police report about the incident. A separate Instagram account was reportedly made with contact information on Tay's father, including details about his workplace, allegedly to harass him.[16] By 2019, it was reported in an edition of New York's The Cut that Jason managed all of her social media presence and that her mother had several business meetings about Tay without her involvement or any contracts signed.[18]

Numerous posts were made on Tay's Instagram in 2021 – reportedly by Jason – again accusing Tay's father of abuse and claiming that her father had court-ordered Tay back to Canada in order to profit from her earnings.[17][16][24] According to ¡Hola!, Jason launched a GoFundMe page citing the abuse allegations in an attempt to earn money on Tay's behalf.[25] In an article by The Daily Beast, Tay's promoter responded to the posts saying they were a result of a hack and that the allegations were false, while her manager Harry Tsang said that Tay's half-brother used her Instagram account to perform "defamation and libel". Tsang also alleged that Tay's mother and half-brother had attempted to plot sexual abuse allegations against Tay's father, according to The Daily Beast.[24]

Reception and influence

Tay gained the reputation of insulting her viewers while boasting about her wealth.[23] The videos were criticized by rapper Snoop Dogg, who noted, "She need to be in school learning how to be a little girl not a dumbass grown person".[15] Videos of her with Jake Paul at his residence and Tay feuding with internet celebrity and rapper Bhad Bhabie had more than four million views on YouTube.[15]

Tay had been associated with rappers Chief Keef and XXXTentacion, the latter of whom she referred to as a "father figure".[24]

Death hoax

On August 9, 2023, Tay's Instagram account was updated after two years of inactivity, with a post announcing that she had died.[24][26][27] The post also indicated that her half-brother, Jason Tian, had also died, aged 21.[27][28] Their deaths were reported in the post to be "unexpected" and under investigation;[11] however, there was immediate speculation regarding the veracity of the announcement.[25] Both Tay's father and self proclaimed "former manager" initially told Insider they could not confirm or deny whether she had died,[29] and the Vancouver and Los Angeles police departments also stated that they had no reports of her death, and were not investigating it.[25][29] Variety reported receiving a statement from her management confirming her death.[24] Journalists have observed that before her alleged death, Tay's YouTube bio read "help me".[25]

On August 10, Tay's family reportedly told TMZ that her Instagram account had been supposedly compromised and the post announcing her death was deleted from her Instagram page following this.[30][31][32] Fact-checking website Snopes also issued an update to their reporting about Tay[33] after originally reporting that Tay had died.[34] TMZ also reported that Tay provided a statement confirming that her account was hacked, that she and her brother are alive and that her actual name is Tay Tian and not Claire Hope.[35] MacLean Law, a firm that represented Tay's mother, released a statement that her mother would receive custody of Tay, that Tay's father had to pay retroactive child support, that Tay could "advance her career" and that Tay's mother would have the ability to sign contracts on Tay's behalf.[36] The statement referred to Tay as "Tay Tian".[36][37][38]

On September 30, a few weeks after the incident, she released her lead single "Sucker 4 Green" from her upcoming debut studio album.[8]

Discography

Singles

Title Year Album
"Sucker 4 Green" 2023 TBA
"Growing Up" 2024

Promotional singles

Title Year
"Money Way" 2018

References

  1. ^ Lil Tay has been seen various times playing guitar since she returned
  2. ^ a b Levy, Lauren (August 10, 2023). "The Making and Marketing of a 9-Year-Old Meme Machine". The Cut. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "The Brief Death (and Short Rebirth) of Lil Tay". Vanity Fair. August 24, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  4. ^ "Two days in the death, then life, of teen influencer Lil Tay". NBC News. August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Lorenz, Taylor (May 24, 2018). "The Lil Tay Saga Reaches Its Logical Conclusion". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  6. ^ Paul, Larisha (August 18, 2023). "Lawyers for Lil Tay's Mother Address Custody Battle in Statement Following Death Hoax". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  7. ^ Newsy (August 9, 2023). "Internet rapper Lil Tay dead at 14, statement on her Instagram says". NBC Right Now. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  8. ^ a b Myers, Kristin (September 30, 2023). "'Resurrected' Lil Tay SHOCKS Fans With 'Sucker 4 Green'". The Blast. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  9. ^ "Who are Lil Tay's Parents Christopher Hope & Angela Tian?". Capital XTRA. August 10, 2023. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Weiss, Geoff; Snodgrass, Erin; Lee, Lloyd (August 9, 2023). "Lil Tay's Instagram says the rapper is dead; dad declined to confirm". Insider. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "Teen Rapper Lil Tay's Statement Says She Is Alive Following Reports of Her Death". Time. August 9, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  12. ^ "Lil Tay, viral influencer and child rapper, dies at 15: 'Entirely unexpected'". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jennings, Rebecca (August 10, 2023). "Lil Tay's reported death hoax, explained as much as possible". Vox. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  14. ^ O'Toole, Scarlett (September 13, 2024). "Lil Tay's family issues warning to fans as rapper 'is rushed to ICU'". The Mirror US. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "Lil Tay, teen rapper, social media influencer, dead at 14". WBSTV. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  16. ^ a b c d e Weiss, Geoff. "Lil Tay rocketed to fame at 9 years old, disappeared from social media, and became the speculation of a death hoax". Insider. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c "Lil Tay: mystery surrounds reported death of teen rapper". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Bell, Sadie. "Rapper and Influencer Lil Tay Dead at 14 in 'Sudden and Tragic Passing': Family". People Magazine. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023 – via MSN.
  19. ^ "Asian child rapper Lil Tay in custody battle, social media posts reveal". South China Morning Post. October 22, 2018. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  20. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (August 9, 2023). "Lil Tay, teenage social media star known for boisterous behavior, dies". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  21. ^ a b c Wright, Tracy; Trainham, Emily (August 10, 2023). "Lil Tay's former manager suspects reported death of teen influencer was publicity stunt". Fox News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  22. ^ Smidt, Remy (May 24, 2018). "What You Need To Know About Lil Tay: A 9-Year-Old Social Media Star Being Directed By Her Teenage Brother". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d Bernard, Zoë (June 5, 2018). "'The youngest flexer of the century,' nine-year-old Lil Tay, has abruptly vanished from the internet". Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  24. ^ a b c d e Shanfeld, Ethan (August 9, 2023). "Lil Tay, Teen Internet Rapper, Has Died". Variety. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  25. ^ a b c d Trujillo, Jovita (August 9, 2023). "Lil Tay's alleged death sparks mystery and speculation". ¡Hola!. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  26. ^ Ritschel, Chelsea (August 9, 2023). "Influencer Lil Tay has died 'unexpectedly'". The Independent. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  27. ^ a b "Lil Tay: Child rapper dies aged 14 as family say brother has also passed away". Sky News. August 9, 2023. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  28. ^ "Lil Tay, viral influencer and child rapper, dies at 15: 'Entirely unexpected'". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  29. ^ a b Weiss, Geoff; Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven; Snodgrass, Erin; Lee, Lloyd (August 9, 2023). "Lil Tay dead at 15, rapper's Instagram states, but her father couldn't say if it was true". Insider. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  30. ^ "Lil Tay Is Not Dead, Claims Social Media Was Hacked". TMZ. August 10, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  31. ^ Horton, Adrian (August 10, 2023). "'I'm alive': teen rapper Lil Tay releases statement after mysterious death report". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  32. ^ "Lil Tay: Child rapper says she and her brother are safe and alive after Instagram statement said they had both died". Sky News. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  33. ^ "Child Rapper Lil Tay Has Died, According to an Instagram Post". Snopes. August 9, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  34. ^ "Yes, Child Rapper Lil Tay Has Died". Snopes. August 9, 2023. Archived from the original on August 9, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  35. ^ "Lil Tay Is Not Dead, Claims Social Media Was Hacked". TMZ. August 10, 2023. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  36. ^ a b Paul, Larisha (August 18, 2023). "Lawyers for Lil Tay's Mother Address Custody Battle in Statement Following Death Hoax". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  37. ^ "Lil Tay is alive, living with her mom after custody, child support battle in Canada". USA Today. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  38. ^ "Lil Tay's Mom Updates Custody Battle, Paves Way for Tay Comeback". TMZ. August 18, 2023. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
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