While hometown festivals can constitute a great opportunity for artists to connect with some of their earliest supporters, they can also be a lightning rod for backstage shenanigans. The latest example comes from Hot 97 Summer Jam, where a video has surfaced of Bronx native Lil Tjay being restrained by security guards as he apparently tries to attack someone during an altercation backstage.
Lil Tjay allegedly got into a fight backstage at summer jam 👀😳 pic.twitter.com/7QhfosP7PB
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) June 6, 2023
Tjay, who is only a year removed from a life-threatening situation in which he was shot multiple times during a robbery attempt in nearby New Jersey, is riled up in the video, struggling to get free and repeatedly warning the guards, “You gonna be fired.” While it’s not clear he has the pull to make that happen — at least in regard to the guards he doesn’t directly employ — according to the person filming, he’s attempting to retaliate after the altercation was instigated by the other party. “N**** popped on Lil Tjay, bro,” he says.
Not to be a killjoy or anything, but it’s probably better that Tjay didn’t get to escalate the conflict. After all, we’ve seen far too many times how these things can go bad in a hurry, and he’s already on his second life. Not for nothing, Tjay’s also been involved in too many run-ins with the law recently; as recently as January, he had no fewer than two arrests for firearm possession. Let’s all hope he can stay out of trouble for the foreseeable future and enjoy the life he very nearly lost less than a year ago.
