Straight Stuntin’: DJ Kay Slay

L. Raquel Peterson

Nobody knows how to air out beef like Keith Grayson, better known as DJ Kay Slay, the Drama King. Having been a force to reckon with on the airwaves for years, Grayson was born and bred in the Bronx, and enjoyed all things hip-hop, including graffiti. A bid at an early age convinced Grayson to channel his raw street knowledge into a field where he can support his family and maintain his street cred. Grayson now works the hip-hop industry like no other, developing business ventures, staying abreast of artists and providing a neutral zone for artists to air out their beef and get put on. “I’m sticking to the true elements of hip-hop,” Grayson maintains gruffly. “DJs don’t do that no more, but I do.”

Tell us why you’re known as the no-nonsense Drama King.
I’m just a humble dude. If I don’t know you, I won’t say nothing to you. I barely talk. I barely smile. You gotta really know me to get certain time from me. It’s not because I’m an asshole or retarded or crazy, but you should know through life, the way you’re perceived through people is the way they’ll treat you. Sometimes if you come off nice to people, they think you’re a sucker. So I don’t play with people and that’s how it comes back. It’s my life. When I go home at night, I don’t have to go home to none of them mofoccas. Nobody’s paying my bills, taking care of my daughter or nothing, so let them say what they have to say … Opinions are like an asshole, everybody got one, so I can’t let it affect me.

What mistakes do you see other DJs making?
A DJ’s original true motive is to support upcoming and new talent. A lot of DJs want to go “Imma play Jay-Z,” or “Imma play T.I.” There’s nothing wrong with playing the prominent artists who’s doing their thing. You don’t get play for breaking a T.I. record. You don’t get play for playing somebody who’s already established, whose feet are already in the concrete. Really, you’re playing time is when you pick an artist nobody knows or an artist who’s coming up and you make something out of that. It’s like trying to take credit for a tree on the street. You can’t go “I’m the reason this tree is here. I’m the reason this tree looks like it does.” People will look at you like, “This tree BEEN here!” Now if people see you plant the tree, watering the seeds and watch it blossom, then you can say something. DJs don’t do that anymore.

DJ Khaled?
I think at the end of the day, it’s a double edged sword. I’m going to come to the defense on one side and say when you’re a DJ with a record that got Plies, Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross. If you don’t stamp that record, people are going to think it’s a Plies record, a Busta record or a Rick Ross record. Nobody’s going to buy your album. They’re going to buy one of those rappers’ records thinking that the record is there.

Now where it gets annoying is when you go through the whole song. Like you can come on and say “It’s DJ such and such,” and that’s that. Over! But when you’re going all over the song, over the lyrics, everything that’s when it becomes annoying. A lot of my records, I never did that, I just laid the record. A lot of people didn’t even know it was my record. So little stamps are cool, but anything else is annoying.

What’s the difference between a real DJ and a bullshitter?
First of all, let me be the first to say I’m not fucking with Serato. I just can’t set myself up to do it because it’s not really DJing, OK? Anyone can go get Serato—you can get Serato and use it. It’s, like, this software that you can play through your computer, and digitally scratch and mix. Everyone’s using it, but I just can’t do it. I need to stick with the true element. I’m still with the two track tables or the true CD-J, and the only reason I have to use CD-J is because the record labels cut back and stopped making vinyl. So the records … coming out are not coming out on wax now.

A real DJ actually DJs. He can move a crowd; he can motivate a crowd. You understand what I’m saying? He knows how to pick the crowd up when the crowd is dead. He knows when it’s 4 a.m. and the club is about to close to play something mellow to calm the crowd down so they don’t go outside acting up. He knows how to set the tone. He can adapt to any situation in any state and he can win.

When has a battle gone too far?
It’s going too far when you start disrespecting innocent people that have nothing to do with it. When you start going to the mothers, grandmothers, the kids, the women, disrespecting a nigga wife and all that, that’s when it’s going sour. And then, between the two individuals, when the two individuals start talking about what they’re going to do to one another when they see him, that’s when it’s going sour.

When you’re battling you should keep it lyrical, like Force MDs, Grandmaster cash and them, Cold Crush battling. You know after those battles, niggas might’ve gave each other a pound, smoked a blunt, laughed until next time they see each other like, “It is what it is chump. Make sure you got a gold mic the next time.” When they battled, there was never no desire to kill someone. When it starts getting to that, I don’t want no part of it, because it’s defeating the purpose of us getting off the streets and getting into the entertainment world, you know? Might as well stay on the streets with that mentality, because Imma tell you, you’ll make more money, but you’ll have to give that money you’re making to a lawyer to get you out of trouble.

Is there anyone you want to slap?
Nah. You know what, at the end of the day, Imma keep it one hundred with you. When you coming up in certain situations and people get you frustrated and you’re coming up in a certain element, you only know how to do things one way. I did that a few times and I don’t feel proud of it. I feel like it was a dumb move that could have removed me from my element, especially if I’m trying to go in the right direction. Right now I’m in a different state of mind with my life. If somebody comes at me in that nature, I gotta handle my business, but other than that, I ain’t trying to hurt nobody. I got a family to take care of and lot of people out here that depend on me, that ain’t doing that good. If I go down, a whole lot of lives go down with me, and I’m rebuilding.

What happened to “Who Want Drama?” the reality show for you and Buffie?
At the end of the day, me and her were seeing where we could go with it, just doing skits and stuff. But we were both busy. She was doing her thing, I was doing mine. A lot of people hollered at me about it, but we about money.

How did “Straight Stuntin’” come about?
“Straight Stuntin’” Magazine is a publication for the ladies. The newest issue is 380 pages. There are a lot of sisters who wanted information on getting on different publications, telling me how they were told they have to sleep with this one or that one to get in their magazines. There’s a whole lot of politics and stuff that my sisters have to go through in order to model or get work. I’m providing a platform where they can get in the book with no sexual harassment. Half the chicks in my magazine I haven’t even met! [If a chick’s in] Buffalo, they can set something up with a photographer up there, I’ll get my pictures and that’s that. It’s a platform for women to do what they’re trying to do ‘cause it’s not just about modeling. It’s about modeling, rapping DJing, adult entertainment, all that. As someone that likes everything, I want to have those elements in my book. You can be dressed head to toe, pants, jeans, I don’t care. As long as you look good, then that’s that.

Who is reppin’ hip-hop to the fullest—production and lyrically?
All the way around the border, I’d have to say D-Block, G-Unit, Young Jeezy, Bun B and UGK—rest in peace Pimp C. I’d have to say Ludacris, Cam’ron, Dipset—brothers that really can rhyme. That’s who I’m going to say. It’s a lot of records out there that’s creative, a lot of artists that are, but I’m not going to say that it’s fully hip-hop. A lot of them I’m going to call “front-hop,” but hip-hop comes from true lyricists, who are saying something that truly can change somebody’s life, make them think about something, or their lyrics can uplift the community. A lot of these records don’t do that. It’s some I might have forgot, and I’m not saying they don’t, but for those I’ve named, you can see the genre they’re in.

Where are hip-hop and rap going?
Hip-hop and rap are two different things. Hip-hop is something you live, rap is something you do. I see a lot of people rapping right now. I will say, with all the digital downloading and things, I just see the game getting worse. A lot of people aren’t going to sell records because the music industry has lost to digital sales. A lot of artists are going into situations where they’re getting judged on their digital sales and iTunes and are only worried about how many units they sell. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the units ain’t what it’s about. People are downloading and buying their music online so artists are getting played.

I always think the game is going to get worse. We did what we always do. Black people let the white man come and take something we started and monopolize it and then use us like puppets and push us out the game. When it’s done and over, we’re going to be back on the corners, hustling and trying to get into trouble and they’ll go play hockey, golf or whatever they be doing. They need to stay the fuck out our culture for real.

I’m sick and tired of white people telling black people how to be black. Don’t tell me what hip-hop is nigga. I was born into this. I stepped over dope fiends on the way to school. I’ve seen best friends get shot, you understand what I’m saying? That’s all part of our culture. I came outside in the afternoons, I played basketball, I did graffiti, I banged on the tables in the classrooms while my mans and them rhymed, I went to the jams in the park, I DJ’d jams in the park. I been in clubs that got stuck up, I’ve gone in clubs to rob people. They didn’t do none of that shit, so how the hell they get to step in, twist turn and decide what’s hot and what’s not? That’s some bullllllllshit. They better go back to some other shit, heavy metal or Marilyn Manson, that stupid shit. They need to stay out our culture or have us take full control over what we do.

Advice for anyone who wants to follow in your path?

No matter what, be yourself. Whatever talent it is that you have, be the best at your talent and not the worst at somebody else’s. Whatever doesn’t feel right don’t do it. I don’t believe in faking it until you make it. Just be yourself, and have another avenue just in case it doesn’t work, you can have something going for you. What they eat, won’t make you shit. Don’t let anyone tell you “you can’t be this or that.” It might not work for them, but it may work for you.

For women, make sure you’re a woman at all times and respect yourself. I hear a lot of people gasp like “Oh, strippers” or “whores.” I’m curious, who do you respect more? The chick that goes to the club and sells a fantasy, making $5,000 a week and not sleeping with a dude, or the chick at the NBA draft party, trying to sleep with one of those niggas hoping she’ll be locked in with them and fucking for nothing? Who’s the real whore? Who’s the real slut? That’s why I don’t judge! I’m just a strong believer in being yourself and letting nobody judge you. You’re following the path God laid out for you. All our lives [are] written. You do what you feel is right.

Cubana Lust?
First things first, anyone who knows Cubana Lust knows she’s a dancer. Number one, she is a dancer, just like a lot of other models who came in the game. Everyone knows my radio show ain’t for lames. It’s adult radio. If that’s the worst they can bring up of my clips, they need to go back and check. Please don’t tell me that’s the first time y’all seen her do that. If y’all ever seen Cubana Lust videos on World Star Hip-Hop, she broke in the game for being on WSHH for popping her ass in her bedroom. All she did was come on my show and do what she already did with clothes on. So whoever said that doesn’t know her history, and anyone who knows me, knows I’m a strip club king, and I don’t have a woman so I can do what I want. And I’m a grown ass man. Superhead disrespected models’ reputations in the game, not Cubana Lust and Imma leave it at that.

Does hip-hop still love black women?
I don’t know what them people love, but I love and have never dated nothing but black women. No disrespect to them, but if I dated a white woman, I’d probably throw up. It’s my belief there are certain people in the game who always dreamed of having a white woman or a light-skinned chick. So when the opportunity arises, they go after it to make themselves feel better. You got black women who go after white men or light-skinned guys. I think it’s more individual than the industry. You can’t tell Jay-Z what type of chick he has to have in his videos. If he doesn’t want it, he’s not rocking with it. That’s what they like, everyone likes different things. I’m not going to say the culture isn’t like that, I think it’s preference.

I think black women might need to step their game up. A lot of them are very lazy. Just like lazy dudes, there’s a lot of lazy women. Seeing behind the scenes of “Straight Stuntin,’” I’ve seen a lot of lazy women. Ninety percent of them don’t have jobs because they’re banking on this modeling situation, but when they need to do something, they need you to fly them here and there, and pay for their hotel. And that’s cool, but stop throwing that independent flag up if you ain’t doing it independently. We got love for our women but they have to have love for themselves too.

How could women love themselves more and be taken more seriously?
A chick that’s not in the club every night, or four days out the week, the kids look as good as they do. They’re not always looking to a guy to do something for them. Ninety percent might have been too high, I’ll say 70 percent. I know a lot of women who are moving right, but it’s certain qualities. Don’t go to the store looking crazy, come out looking proper—have it together, no half stepping. You look proper going to a job interview. Carry yourself like that all the time. You gotta be careful where you’re looking for situations at too. I think if a lot of women knew better, they’d do better. At the end of the day, I love my sisters, all women and [I’m] in their corner, but I’ve been through a lot of nonsense with these magazines. I’ve had women have me book a flight and go shoot close to them—like Detroit to Chicago, and I’ve booked hotels and flights for chicks only to get calls from them saying they overslept. Huh?! I just spent flight and hotel money! What are you talking about? Or trying to call the day of the shoot, talking about they don’t feel good and can they cancel, but you run into them at the club later on. Oh, you feel better, huh? They play games. A lot of them are lazy, they don’t want to work. They want the money, but don’t want to put in the work.

What other business ventures are you working on?
Basically “Straight Stuntin’” is going to another level. I got a show in the works, but I don’t like talking about it until it happens. It’s nothing like, looking for a girl or nothing. It will be something interesting with me and women in the industry. Of course I got another album coming out, “More than Just a DJ.” I just shot the video for the first single with D-Block and Ray-J—shouts to both of them. That’s a real strong joint. I’m also A&R on Ray-J’s last album, so I’m on the A&R tip. I just got a whole lot going on. So I’m keeping it moving, handling everything that come my way. So you gotta look out for me.