Rapper Tay-K Seeking A "Second Chance" Amid 55-Year Murder Sentence

Rapper Tay-K is asking for a "second chance at adulthood" while serving a 55-year prison sentence for murder.

Rapper Tay-K, best known for his 2017 breakout single "The Race," is asking for a "second chance at adulthood" while serving a 55-year prison sentence. The 22-year-old artist shared several tweets on Thursday night (January 5), saying that he should have been tried as a juvenile instead of an adult and claimed that race was a factor behind his lengthy sentence. Tay-K, real name Taymor Travon McIntyre, also pointed to one of his co-defendant's, a 16-year-old white female, who was given 10 years probation and has since been released from prison.

“I really just need 1 chance @ adulthood,” he tweeted. “I bet if I was a lil white kid they wouldn’t have gave me no 55 years for a crime I was alleged to play the most insignificant role in when I was 16….they woulda rightfully argued that my mind wasn’t fully developed and gave me rehabilitation and a 2nd (1st) chance at adulthood.”

He added, “one of my codefendants was a white girl who was 16 jus like me…they didn’t certify her as an adult but they certified me n pimp as adults, pimp got 30, I got 55, she ended up getting 10 years of probation without no deal…that girl @ home rn.”

In July 2019, McIntyre was found guilty of murder for his alleged role in a 2016 Mansfield, Texas home invasion that killed 21-year-old Ethan Walker. McIntyre was given 55 years for the murder charge, 30 years for aggravated robbery and two additional 13-year prison sentences on two other counts of aggravated robbery.

Following his initial arrest, McIntyre cut off his ankle monitor and tweeted “fuck dis house arrest shit fuck 12 they gn hav 2 catch me on hood” before going on the run. Soon thereafter, his single "The Race" catapulted to No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100, partially due to McIntyre's alleged testimony in the lyrics.

While fleeing, McIntyre allegedly committed other violent acts, including shooting and killing a 23-year-old man during a robbery attempt in San Antonio, Texas and assaulting and robbing a 65-year-old man in Arlington, Texas. The then-teen rapper was ultimately apprehended by U.S. Marshals in Elizabeth, New Jersey in June 2017. He is currently awaiting another trial after being indicted for the San Antonio killing.