Lil Tjay is staying alive.
Just two months after he was hospitalized following a near-fatal shooting, the 21-year-old rapper is back and stronger than ever. On his new single “Beat the Odds,” which he recorded in the hospital, he reflects on his “hard life” and his near-death experience while vowing to keep fighting.
“They be like ‘Tjay, why do you move around with all them fu**in’ guns?’ / I just tell them ‘That’s ’cause I don’t wanna die,’” he raps. “And trust me I don’t lie, can’t f**k up, I’m a star right now / If I don’t quit the blow, I would be in the stars right now.”
The video chronicles his release from the hospital as he recovers from the harrowing incident in June, where Tjay was shot seven times in the lung, neck, and chest during an attempted robbery in Edgewater, New Jersey. He underwent emergency surgery for his injuries and was considered in critical condition at one point.
Earlier this week, Tjay returned to social media to share an update with fans. “I just wanna say, thanks for the love, thanks for the support,” he said. “I been looking at the DMS, the comments, and everything else, and I feel love.”