DJ KAY SLAY (August 2006) | Interview By: Zuka

       Dubcnn.com got in touch with DJ Kay Slay, the Drama King to discuss his upcoming compilation album called 'The Champions' as well as other issues tht fans wanted addressing. We discussed Hip-Hop as a whole, how NY stays on top almost consistently in many peoples eyes, lyricism, artists making moves from mixtapes to albums, 50 Cent, what keeps him focussed and much more.





 As always we have both the transcript and the audio for you to check and please feel free to send any feedback regarding the interview to: zuka@dubcnn.com.
 

Interview was done by phone in August 2006

Questions Asked By : Zuka

DJ Kay Slay Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview In Audio : Here

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Dubcnn: You’re releasing a compilation album with Greg Street, titled The Champions - North Meets South. How will this album be different from your two Columbia releases?

The only thing that’s gonna be different about it is Greg Street is on the album with me. Everything is still different regions of music. Hot collaborations, hot beats and hot artists. That’s the only thing that’s different about it. Everything else it is just a hot album.


Dubcnn: How did this collaboration come about? I mean, you could have chosen any DJ to do this album with.

Well, I’m from New York. The south got a nice buzz going on with what they doing and he’s one of the DJ’s from the south that I really rock with. Me and him been cool for a minute, so I figured let him get on this with me, so I can balance out the whole album with all the southern records and all the northern records.


Dubcnn: What artists are featured on this album?

Busta Rhymes, Lloyd Banks, 3 6 Mafia, Yung Joc, Papoose, Cam’ron & the whole Dipset, Bun B, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Remy Martin, Ghostface, Raekwon, Twista, Cassidy, Lil Jon, Chamillionaire, Fat Joe, Shaq… I got so many artists on there! It’s incredible!


Dubcnn: That’s like almost the whole mainstream hip hop scene on the album, isn’t it?

Definitely.


Dubcnn: Currently the south is dominating the game. What do you think of New York’s position right now?

New York’s position is what it’s always been. We the creators and we stay there forever. We do what we do. The south is dominating the videos and the club scene, but I wouldn’t necessarily say they’re dominating hip hop. 50 Cent is the biggest selling rapper in the game with 5 million copies of his last album. If you compare: the five most recent southern albums that just came out the total sales together ain’t equal to 5 million copies. So we still holding the crown on who sells the most records. When it comes to lyricists I think we are the best lyricists in the game. They [the south] might be the better entertainers in the game with entertaining records and catchy hooks and dances, but when it comes to lyricists the north got it hands down.


Dubcnn: What do you think is more important? The whole entertaining thing about the music or really the roots of hip hop, the lyricism?

The lyricism, bottom line. Without question. What comes out of an artist’s mouth is what made hip hop to what it is today. Not about who had the best dance. It’s about the lyricism. Lyrical, that’s about the lyrical content, the skills. Rapping deals with skills.


Dubcnn: Is that also why you started to fuck with Papoose?

Exactly. I like to deal with artists that are versatile and I can put in any situation and they can find their way out of it. Not a person that is limited to one type of music.


Dubcnn: You’ve been in the mixtape circuit for a very long time. How has it developed over the years?

It’s just a matter of people wanting to rap over what they feel is hot. Somebody likes a beat on a record that’s hot. They spin it 100 times a day, they wanna get on it. So that it help the person get attention. An artist gets the attention and listened to a lot quicker. It’s all just marketing schemes right now.


Dubcnn: You’re known all over the world with your mixtapes and even in Europe you have a big following. Do you plan on putting out any hot European MC’s on your mixtapes to appeal to your European fans?

I would really have to hear some of the music that’s popping out there and see how I can mix it in.


Dubcnn: Do you have any plans currently to do something in the near future?

I’m the type of person, I don’t limit myself to nothing. I do music with everybody, but everything comes in time.


Dubcnn: Let’s talk about your nickname The Drama King. Do you think that glorifying beef and the negativity in the game doesn’t set the game back?

Who ever said I glorify beef and negativity in the game though? Where that come from? I’m a DJ. My job is to play records. I don’t make records. Whoever makes a negative record, they’re the one that’s making the negative record. Whoever glorifies something on the record that’s them glorifying it. My job is to play music and I don’t take sides. That’s the essence of The Drama King. It’s no politics involved with me. If somebody make a record I don’t care how rich or how poor they are, they deserve an equal shot to get they music heard, but at the end of the day the negativity and the positivity of a record comes from the artist who makes the record, not the DJ’s who play them.


Dubcnn: Last year 50 Cent appeared on Hot 97 dismissing The Game out of G-Unit. What was your first reaction when you heard about that beef?

Things happen. People got different views and people take different initiatives towards things. They’re grown men. It’s nothing big for me. I been around hip hop so long that something like this doesn’t really rattle my cage. It just happened. It wasn’t a big deal, really. After the argument they went a separate way. That happens all the time.


Dubcnn: Let’s get back to Papoose real quick. When is his album dropping? He’s got a little buzz right now because of that Busta Rhymes video.

Yeah, he got a buzz before that as well. That just helped the situation a little more as far as the visual. It’ll probably drop in the fourth quarter. Or we'll drop it 2007.


Dubcnn: Do you think he can make the transition from a successful mixtape rapper to a commercially buyable rapper?

I mean, we sell mad mixtapes already. There is not much difference. If fans like you they like you, if they don’t they don’t. The fans are feeling him right now so...I don’t think it’s gonna be no problem with him selling any records.


Dubcnn: What artists do you feel have made that transition the best so far?

50 Cent. 50 Cent took his-self from the mixtapes. Nobody on the radio was showing him love besides maybe me and Whoo Kid and he wasn’t on 5 days a week mainstream. He’s straight from the bottom.


Dubcnn: You are one of the few DJ’s that shows love to E-A-Ski and promotes him on tapes.

That’s my brother right there. Me and him are cool.


Dubcnn: Where do you see the mixtape game heading over the next 5-10 years?

I can’t really tell you. A lot of people don’t know what they doing or what this is all about. Some people are in it for a dollar, but it’s really supposed to be a form of promotion and make it your way from there. Everybody not in the game for all the right reasons. Who knows.


Dubcnn: Do you have any favourite mixtapes you’ve worked on?

Hmm, no, not really. Every tape I’ve ever done served its purpose. So I can’t really pin point anyone in particular. I really let the fans do that.


Dubcnn: What keeps you focused in this music business?

I’m an adult, so being a grown ass man I just know my duty and what I’m supposed to do and what I have to do in life. I just focus myself and not one thing in particular that makes me get focused. I just know my responsibilities and I handle them.


Dubcnn: You’re the premier DJ on Hot 97, you release mixtapes, you do albums… how do you see yourself in the first place? What’s your main job?

I break everything on the streets. Everybody that’s trying to get into the game pretty much goes through my circuit cause I’m like the borderline between the streets and to the next level to be heard. So that’s my role right there.


Dubcnn: How come the West Coast hasn’t been able to be on top in such a long time? And what is it that the East stays on top consistently?

For one, I just think sometimes brothers gotta get up and leave their homes and come to where everything is at in order to advance in the game. Most record labels is over in New York City, so therefore it’s hard to be all the way on the other side. Then prosper in the game without being connected with somebody that’s connected in the game over here that can really represent you the right way. So you better make a hell of a hot record out there and it just finds it way or its up shit creek.