Tione “Lil Tjay” Merritt was hospitalized in 2022 after getting shot seven times during a robbery attempt in New Jersey. The 22-year-old rapper reflects on that violent incident in his latest song.
Lil Tjay dropped the Dell Nie-directed “June 22nd” music video on Thursday, June 22, 2023. The track will live on the forthcoming Columbia Records-backed 222 studio album which arrives on July 14.
“It’s been a long road. A year ago being in New York City for the first time without security didn’t think it’d change my life, but it did and I’m blessed to have a second chance,” says Lil Tjay.
Previously, Tjay released “Beat the Odds” in August 2022. That song also addressed the Edgewater, New Jersey shooting. The official music video for “Beat the Odds” has collected more than 30 million views on YouTube.
Prosecutors charged 27-year-old Mohamed Konate with attempted murder, armed robbery, and weapons offenses in the case which also saw Lil Tjay’s friend, Antoine Boyd, get injured. Apparently, Konate also suffered gunshot wounds during the botched robbery.
Lil Tjay’s forthcoming 222 album follows 2019’s True 2 Myself and 2021’s Destined 2 Win. Both of those projects peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. His State of Emergency EP made it to No. 31 in 2020.
“Beat the Odds” spent four weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 36. Lil Tjay scored his highest-charting single with “Calling My Phone” featuring 6LACK. That 4x-Platinum collaboration leveled off at No. 3.