Lil Tay is a nine-year-old girl with 2.6 million Instagram followers. She attracted this following by uploading videos where she acted like an obnoxious, cocky rapper. Claiming to be "the youngest flexer of the century," she hopped out of expensive cars and carelessly tossed Benjamin Franklins on the ground.
"I’m out here flexing to y’all broke-ass haters!" she boasted in one clip, while wearing a gold chain. "I got a $350,000 chain, y’all haven’t seen this in your lives! I’m richer than all y’all broke-ass haters!" In another video, she revved a Lamborghini and continued bragging. "Bitch, I just bought a Lamborghini! Y'all bitches can't afford this shit, okay? I'm only nine years old, but I'm the youngest flexer of the century!"
The ridiculous videos got her mom fired, but went super viral, turning Lil Tay into an Internet star. Fans couldn't wait to see what the foul-mouthed 'flexer' would say next. But then several videos leaked that revealed Lil Tay's brother was feeding her every line. The whole character is an act, and "Lil Tay" may not even understand what she's saying. Many Twitter users commented that they felt bad for her. It seemed like she was being manipulated by her family to become an influencer. The hashtag #saveliltay started trending.
After those videos leaked, Lil Tay disappeared from social media, and her Instagram account was wiped clean. A spokesperson for the family told BuzzFeed News that that they were 'rebranding' Lil Tay. But isn't her obnoxious character the whole reason she got viral? What will the new Lil Tay be like? Can't her brother just leave her alone?
Well, Lil Tay finally returned to social media, but it wasn't to "flex." It was to mourn 20-year-old rapper XXXTentacion, who was shot dead yesterday in Miami, Florida. The hip-hop artist was known for his edgy, aggressive lo-fi trap music, and his various run-ins with the law. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial for multiple felony charges, including aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness-tampering.
Apparently, Lil Tay knew XXXTentacion, and they were planning a charity event together. On Instagram, she paid tribute to the rapper by changing her profile picture to his photo. Also, she shared two photos of them chatting via Facetime and text message. In the caption, she mourned the controversial rapper, calling him a 'father figure.
"you truly changed me. you were there for me when everyone wanted me to fail, you were there to give me advice, you were there. As a father figure, when I don’t have one, you were here, FaceTiming me and calling me for hours when I’m down, 3 hours ago you announced the Charity event we were going to throw, we had everything setup, I can’t believe this, the evil in the world, This isn’t good Bye I love you best friend. I Love you X."
It's disturbing for Tay to call XXXTentacion a "father figure," considering he was charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman and domestic battery by strangulation. It's also hard to believe Tay is really a fan of the rapper, since those videos revealed her brother tells her what to say all the time.
Well, we'll see if that charity event happens, and if Lil Tay is still "the youngest flexer of the century."