Lil Tay returns with new music video a month after her death hoax: 'I am free now'
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Young rapper Lil Tay is speaking out for the first time since her viral death hoax in August, when a message posted to her verified Instagram account claimed she had died.
The 14-year old performer, who later announced that her account was hacked, made her return to social media on Saturday with "Sucker 4 Green," a new single and accompanying music video. She also posted an Instagram live broadcast meant to "set the record straight" about the various controversies surrounding her online persona.
Lil Tay, who has said her legal name is Tay Tian (not the previously reported Claire Hope), accused her father, Christopher Hope, of abuse that included inappropriate behavior and neglect, which she detailed in her post. She claims that he had not been present in her life before her internet fame and reappeared with the intent to "control" her money. She also stated her belief that her father was behind the death hoax in an attempt to "sabotage" her career.
Lil Tay/YouTube Lil Tay in the music video for 'Sucker 4 Green'
Lil Tay continued, "He is not the f---ing good guy here. He wanted control over my career and my money, and… me and my family had to go through even more years of abuse through the court system because of him. But in the end we won. I am free now. I thank God every day for it. I thank my mom for it."
Ending the video, she said, "I'm ready to move on. We are done with this."
Ahead of her livestream, Lil Tay posted a link to the video for her new dance track, which resembles the content she originally went viral for in 2018, featuring her flaunting thousands of dollars in cash while sitting in luxury cars and wearing high-end clothing.
Lil Tay/Instagram Lil Tay
Following her meteoric rise to fame at 9 years old, she stopped posting new content and disappeared from the internet in 2018. Two years later, TMZ reported that her parents had been engaged in a two-year custody battle over her.
Following the August hoax, her father initially replied with "no comment" to the media, neither confirming nor denying the reports of her death. A day after the shocking news, Lil Tay released a statement explaining that her account had been compromised by a third party to spread "jarring misinformation" about her and her older brother, Jason Tian.
Later that month, Tay shared a statement from MacLean Law on her Instagram account stating that her mother, Angela Tian, had officially obtained primary custody, including "sole day-to-day and final decision-making powers and responsibilities in the best interests of Tay Tian." She is also the sole parent authorized to sign contracts for the teen rapper.
The statement added that her father was court-ordered to submit monthly child support payments in addition to other expenses, plus retroactive child support owed to her dating back to 2014.
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