The pioneering hip-hop artist Keith Grayson, who carried out as DJ Kay Slay and labored with high stars, has died of problems from Covid-19.
Grayson’s dying at 55 on Sunday was confirmed by his household in an announcement launched by way of New York radio station Sizzling 97, the place he hosted The Drama Hour for greater than 20 years.
“A dominant determine in hip-hop tradition with tens of millions of followers worldwide, DJ Kay Slay shall be remembered for his ardour and excellence with a legacy that may transcend generations,” the assertion mentioned.
Grayson grew up in Harlem, immersed in New York Metropolis’s early hip-hop scene. He acquired his begin as a teenage graffiti artist and was featured within the 1983 hip-hop documentary Model Wars.
He started promoting bootleg mixtapes on road corners within the early 90s and launched his first studio album, The Streetsweeper, Vol 1, in Could 2003. Grayson launched a number of extra albums and labored with the likes of Nas, Kendrick Lamar, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes.
“Sizzling 97 is shocked and saddened by the lack of our beloved DJ Kay Slay,” the station mentioned in an announcement.
