Lil Tjay counts his blessings on his poignant new track, “Beat the Odds,” which finds the Bronx MC recounting his recovery from a nearly fatal ambush shooting during a botched robbery attempt in June. “I do my own thing, f–k it, I took seven shots, no shame/ Back to wall, I’m still gon’ blow you down, I ain’t no stain/ Flow on Wayne, I don’t give a f–k about no ceiling,”
The video for the track that dropped on Friday (August 26) opens with frantic 911 calls from the day of the incident — including a woman’s voice saying she thinks the victim is “deceased” — before fading in on Tjay laying down with his eyes close, an oxygen mask over his face. It then focuses on him writing and recording lyrics while hooked up to monitors, the bandages on his neck in full view as he records his verses from his hospital bed.
According to a release announcing the song, the 21-year-old “Laneswitch” rapper was treated for gunshot wounds after being shot 7 times, including in the lungs, neck and chest. We watch Tjay learn how to walk again, caress the wounds on his chest and get sprung in a wheelchair as he makes his way back to the studio amid footage of him performing on stage in the visual directed by the MC. The scene ends in a church, where Tjay gives thanks for his survival and faith.
“Grateful for the s–t I got ’cause I come from a hard life/ Demons on my mental, saw some s–t I wanna archive/ Feds lookin’ out tryna bring a n—a down/ Just thinkin’ ’bout the possibility, I frown,” he raps on the chorus. “Far out on that water, Father, don’t let me drown/ I can hear my grandma sayin’, ‘Don’t let me down’/ People wanna kill me, always keep my gun ’round/ Pray I squeeze first, I can’t lose the millies I found.”
“I’m thankful for the love and support I’ve received from my fans, family and friends,” the rapper said in a statement. “This has been a long road to recovery but I’m happy to have a second chance. Stay tuned… I’m back.”
Watch the “Beat the Odds” video below.
