From graffitti tags to diss tracks, DJ Kay Slay’s hip-hop influence was generational
In an industry that overwhelmingly prizes youth and novelty over experience, Keith Grayson, best known as DJ Kay Slay, was a rare beacon of continuity across hip-hop’s many eras. Though his early beginnings as a graffiti artist, his run as a mixtape innovator, and his position as kingmaker during some of New York hip-hop’s most competitive years may seem like wildly disparate epochs at a glance, the self-proclaimed Drama King embodied hip-hop’s competitive spirit and no-holds-barred attitude in every role he took on.