Months after being hospitalized with covid, DJ Kay Slay passes away at age 55.

The legendary New York City record executive passed away on Easter Sunday. His death was confirmed by hip hop promoter Van Silk.

Slay was a pivotal figure in the Hip-Hop community, getting his start as a graffiti artist, using the tag name “Dez,” before making his Kay Slay moniker as a DJ on the mixtape circuit during the late ’90s and early aughts. Signing a recording deal with Columbia Records, Slay (also known as “The Drama King” and “Mr. Smack Your Favorite DJ”) released his major label debut, The Streetsweeper, Vol. 1, in 2003, which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. His sophomore release, The Streetsweeper, Vol. 2, dropped the following year and reached No. 10 on that chart. He released six studio albums during his career, the most recent being The Soul Controller, which dropped in December 2021, shortly before his hospitalization.

 

Rest in paradise King