DJ Kay Slay to Be Honored With Street Renaming In East Harlem

The late DJ Kay Slay will be honored with a street renaming in his hometown of East Harlem next month. On Saturday (July 15), Kay Slay’s brother, Kwame Grayson, announced the news on social media. According to a flier from the upcoming event, Kay Slay, born Keith Grayson, will have East 105th Street and 1st Ave. named after him on August 13, what would have been his 57th birthday.

The New York City event will be hosted by Grayson’s friend and longtime collaborator Papoose, along with the DJ’s Jarrod “General” Whitaker and niece Ladi Kutz. Also invited to the event are LL Cool J, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe, Remy Ma, Tony Yayo and more.

In April 2022, Grayson died at 55 years old following a months-long battle with COVID-19, first shared by music executive Wack 100.

“Hip hop lost a real gem,” wrote hip-hop promoter Van Silk said at the time. “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 [2021] because we were finishing up the ‘200 Rolling Deep’ project. He was gonna do his video part with MC Sha-Rock.”

Grayson’s funeral was held at the Apollo Theater on April 24, where guest speakers included Papoose, Busta Rhymes and Melle Mel. The DJ’s final album was The Soul Controller, which featured the aforementioned Papoose and Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Raekwon and more.