DJ Kay Slay’s been in the game for years. During hip-hop’s infancy in the late 70s, the Harlem native was known as the graffiti artist, Dezzy Dez. As one of the city’s top bombers, he was featured in the documentary Style Wars. Eventually, he parlayed his skills to DJing. After a stint in jail, Slay turned his hobby into a job with his Streetsweeper mixtape series and gig on Hot 97.

In the first of our three part interview, Slay speaks on his origins, mixtapes, and beefing with other DJs. The Drama King is in the building. –Rap Radar