“The Race” by Tay-K
Perhaps more than any other musical genre, rap music is one where fans expect a high level of realism from its artists. In other words, the stories that street-based rappers tell are expected to be true-to-life. And a rap song can perhaps get no realer than Tay-K’s “The Race”.
For starters, its title alludes to the fact that the rapper was actually on the run from police when the song was recorded. And its subject matter references this reality. Or as Tay-K states in the chorus, he was “trying to beat a case”, as in prevent himself from being incarcerated due to a criminal charge. However, due to being unable to do so he “did the race”, as in fleeing from authorities.
Moreover the specific case he was trying to beat was actually a murder and robbery charge. And he also seems to reference that incident, in a self-damning fashion, in “The Race” also.
Indeed the overall theme of the song is not him being on the run per se. Rather he presents himself primarily as a gun-toting thug who, if given the right type of inspiration, would riddle a target with bullets at a moment’s notice. And these sentiments are not only aimed at his enemies. Instead Tay-K also focuses a lot on the idea of robbing people. And keep in mind once again that a gun-related murder/robbery was actually what he was on the run for.
So in summation, this is true rap realism. No one can accuse Tay-K of being a fake gangster or presenting himself as someone he is not. But getting the approval of hip-hop fandom does not seem to be the reason why he released “The Race”. Instead he apparently just wanted to present himself as a trigger-happy tough guy (as most popular rappers do) and capitalize off the fact that, if even only for a brief period of time, he was a true fugitive from the law, which is kind of an ideology in rap music.
Commercially Successful Song
From a commercial standpoint, being on the run while dropping this track did prove profitable to Tay-K. And why? Because “The Race” went on to receive Platinum certification from the RIAA, meaning that it has sold at least one-million copies.
“The Race” also peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 69 on the Canadian Hot 100.
Release Date of “The Race”
“The Race” was officially released on 15 June 2017, one of several songs Tay-K recorded while evading law enforcement from 27 March 2017 until 30 June of that same year, when he was eventually apprehended in Elizabeth, New Jersey. The murder/robbery he was arrested for occurred in Mansfield, Texas on 26 July 2016, with Texas being T-Kay’s home state.
June 30, 2017 is also the date the official music video for “The Race” premiered on YouTube. The song was originally featured on Tay-K’s debut mixtape, entitled “Santana World”.
By the way, in the three months Tay-K was on the run, it is believed that he also committed another murder and robbery, both in Texas.
Has Tay-K been sentenced?
Yes. He was eventually sentenced to 55 years in prison due to the initial murder and robbery charges he was fleeing from. He was also penalized with a fine of $21,000.
In fact prosecutors played the music video of “The Race” and submitted the song’s lyrics as evidence against Tay-K during the trial.
Considering that rap music is a genre which by and large idealizes criminal activity, not only have some fans petitioned for the release of Tay-K (prior to his conviction), but also “The Race” has been remixed by a large number of other hip-hop musicians.
Usage of “The Race” in Atlanta
The track was used on an episode of the hit television show Atlanta. Indeed the show’s celebrity creator, Donald Glover, has stated that Tay-K’s managers had to actually visit him in jail in order to get him to sign a permission form for the track to be used on the program.
Writing and Production of “The Race”
“The Race” was written solely by Tay-K. And the track’s producer is S.Diesel.
Do posts on Chance The Rapper’s “We Go High” and Big Sean’s “Overtime.
Hi Peter, we have that of Big Sean’s “Overtime” here: https://smfproduction.wpenginepowered.com/overtime-by-big-sean/
you should do polo g
Is this song about rape?
No, more about robbery and murder