Lil Tay is not only alive, she’s going live. On Saturday, the teenage rapper publicly appeared on social media for the first time since claims of her death were shared to her Instagram account in August. While on Instagram Live, Lil Tay took the opportunity to share both new music and new allegations against her dad, Christopher Hope. “Five years ago, I became famous. And my abusive, absentee father — who had not been in my life for years up ‘til that point — decided to come back into my life to take control over my career and my money,” she said. “That’s why I disappeared.”
Lil Tay, who went viral at nine years old for her controversial videos about being the “youngest flexer of the century,” claimed that her dad engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with multiple women in front of her when she was growing up. She further alleged that Hope “shoved” her and had been physically abusive to her mom, who seemingly now has primary custody. According to Lil Tay, Hope’s current wife, Hanee, allegedly forced her via chokehold to watch horror movies, once locking her in a closet afterward. “They are sick-ass people,” Lil Tay said. She further claimed that while in her dad’s care, she was packed “rotten, frozen, parasitic” food for lunch and given worn-out shoes to wear to school while Hanee was given designer clothes. She also alleged that Hope had worked with a scammer to coordinate her death hoax in an attempt to sell crypto. As Lil Tay spoke, she periodically held up printouts allegedly showing texts, emails, and photos that back her up. (For his part, Hope has denied abuse claims to TMZ, and suggested that he might take legal action.)
These new allegations weren’t the only thing that Lil Tay dropped, however. She opened her Instagram Live by demonstrating her skills on several instruments. After some piano covers, she switched over to guitar and delivered a rendition of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets.” Her Instagram Live also happened to coincide with the drop of her new song, “Sucker 4 Green.” The track’s music video features Tay posing with luxury cars and stacks of cash as she dances along to lyrics like “Money, money, money / I just can’t look away from it / I want it, want it, want it.” She might be rebranding her sound as an artist, but it looks like some things never change.
