DJ Kay Slay has died at the age of 55

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By Carina Murphy

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Legendary hip-hop artist DJ Kay Slay has passed away four months after being hospitalized with Covid-19.

Hip-hop promoter Van Silk confirmed to HipHopDX the tragic news that Kay Slay died on Sunday (April 17), at the age of 55.

Talking to the outlet about the DJ's death, Silk said: "Hip Hop lost a real gem. My dear brother is gone. I’ve known him since he was 16 years old. He was my little brother. I introduced him to many and we did a lot of things together."

"We last talked [in] December because we were finishing up the 200 rolling deep project. He was gonna do his video part with MC Sha-Rock," Silk continued.

"From the mixtapes to helping him launch Straight Stuntin’ magazine and the whole What The Science project, the world not only lost a real dedicated person to the culture of Hip Hop but a source of bridging the gap in Hip Hop," he added, before finishing his tribute by saying: "I’m gonna miss my little brother."

Reports that DJ Kay Slay - real name Keith Grayson - was sick with Covid first arose in January. However, his brother Dwayne Grayson told HipHopDX at the time that the situation was not critical and that Kay Slay would make a recovery.

"He's definitely not going to die," Dwayne said, adding: "He’s like in a recovery state, but he’s definitely not going to die."

He went on to debunk reports that the DJ had been put on a ventilator, claiming: "It was a machine that was helping him breathe, but it was not a ventilator."

After making a name for himself as a graffiti artist in the 70s and 80s, Kay Slay branched out into music.

His big break came in the early noughties when he burst onto the local radio and music scene. The DJ was best known for his mixtapes, as well as his recurring radio spot on Hot 97 and his diss tracks, for which he was dubbed "Hip-Hop's One-Man Ministry of Insult"' by the New York Times per TMZ.

Tributes have already begun to pour in for the hip-hop star, with many taking to Twitter to pay their respects to him.

"RIP DJ KAY SLAY! 55 Years Old Man," tweeted DJ First Class, while Statik Selektah wrote: "Can’t believe I’m typing this. Rest in power DJ Kay Slay. Legend."

Dart Adams joined them in mourning the DJ, writing: "Rest in eternal peace to DEZ AKA DJ Kay Slay AKA The Drama King. This is a sad day for Hip Hop culture & Rap fans the world over."

Our thoughts are with DJ Kay Slay's family, friends, and fans at this time.

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