The world of hip-hop had one less legend in it as of Sunday (April 17). Following a four-month struggle with a severe case of COVID-19, iconic disc jockey, producer and record label executive DJ Kay Slay passed away at 55 to the devastation of many of the genre’s biggest names.
Born Keith Grayson, DJ Kay Slay was famous for the Streetsweeper album series he made with a supernova of all-star artists. Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, LL Cool J and Fat Joe were all part of the project in some capacity, and all of them have taken to social media to pay respects to their late collaborator. “Thank. U. @djkayslay for being u god bless ya soul,” Snoop captioned an Instagram photo of Kay Slay flashing a backwards peace sign. “Say hi to my mama.”
“Such a real one,” wrote LL Cool J on the platform. “So solid. Rest in power King. I’m gonna miss you B.”
The famed DJ hailed from New York City and rose to prominence as a Style Wars-featured graffiti artist before stepping into a career in music. He released several albums in addition to the The Streetsweeper Volumes 1 and 2, including his collaboration record with DJ Greg Street The Champions: North Meets South and his 2017 LP The Big Brother, which featured assists from Ice-T, Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller and many more.
“My brothers we lost a General today, a Pilar of our community,” Fat Joe wrote on Instagram, posting an old photo of Kay Slay. “We will hold this man in the highest regards for he is an icon when it comes to this culture. We’ll keep your name alive as long as I’m here. Harlem east side stand the f–k up.”
See how hip-hop artists are remembering DJ Kay Slay below.
We lost one of the most SOLID MFs in HipHop.. I’ve been checking in on him his whole struggle in the Hospital. I honestly thought he was gonna pull through. This truly Hurts… F Covid. RIP to the Drama King 👑 #Kay Slay pic.twitter.com/5MyanPPPWo
— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) April 18, 2022
𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐆𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐓, #DJKaySlay 🙏🏾🕊 pic.twitter.com/WUATLWatJI
— PUBLIC ENEMY (@PublicEnemyFTP) April 18, 2022
RIP DJ KAY SLAY 🙏🏾
— TAPE TAPE & HOUSE EP NOW PLAYING (@LupeFiasco) April 18, 2022
Kay slay gave 40 years of his life to Hiphop . God bless your soul king 👑 .
— Wale (@Wale) April 18, 2022
RIP to DJ Kay Slay 🙏🏽🧡
— TRINA (@TRINArockstarr) April 18, 2022
Rest in Power big bro. I can’t even believe I’m writing this. Travel well my old friend. My condolences to his family and other friends hurting right now. #DjKaySlay #Harlem pic.twitter.com/M7BFnG62iH
— Immortal Technique (@ImmortalTech) April 18, 2022
Damn. Rest in peace my man the drama king DJ K Slay. Big loss for NYC and hip hop . 🙏🏽
— Alchemist Type Beat (@Alchemist) April 18, 2022
RIP to the DRAMA KING 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
— BENNY THE BUTCHER (@BennyBsf) April 18, 2022
