DJ Kay Slay

DJ Kay Slay, born Keith Grayson on August 14, 1966 in New York City and raised in East Harlem's projects, was a foundational figure in New York hip-hop who came up through graffiti art before turning to DJing. As a teenager he was already recognized in the graffiti world, appearing in the seminal 1983 hip-hop documentary Style Wars, and he later described doing graffiti and DJing not for money but as pure devotion to the culture.

With the graffiti scene declining in the late 1980s, Grayson's path took a difficult turn, ending in incarceration in 1989 after time spent dealing drugs. Upon release in the early 1990s, he found hip-hop transformed into a genuine commercial force and channeled that realization into building a career as a mixtape DJ, drawing on his personal record collection to launch his first releases. That pivot marked the start of his rise as one of New York's most prolific and respected mixtape hosts.

DJ Kay Slay went on to become known for street-level mixtape series and hard-edged battle records, hosting and collaborating with a wide range of New York rap artists across his career. Tracks like «Rolling 50 Deep» and «50 Shot Ya» reflect the combative, street-authentic style that defined his reputation. He died on April 17, 2022, remembered as one of the key architects of New York's mixtape era.