Rap mixtapes are a major part of hip hop culture, in addition to the famous rap battles that many MCs participate in. DJ Kay Slay mixtapes have found a great deal of popularity because they take these two elements and combine them. He has released several tapes featuring battles between some of the largest stars in hip hop music.
Even before he started making DJ Kay Slay mixtapes, Kay Slay was involved in various aspects of urban culture. In the 1980's, he rose to prominence as a very talented graffiti artist. However, when graffiti art became less popular, he began selling narcotics and ended up in jail during the early 1990's.
The DJ Kay Slay mixtapes that are most commonly known are the ones that are part of the Streetsweeper series. On these tapes are some of the most famous rap battles ever. This includes battles between Jay Z and Nas as well as battles between 50 Cent and Ja Rule.
The Streetsweeper series was so popular that it got DJ Kay Slay some major attention and helped to advance his career. He signed a deal with Columbia Records to release a major label version of the popular series. It also claimed in his winning a great many Mixtape Awards.
The best way to make an impact in hip hop music is to incorporate as many different aspects of the culture into the work as possible. DJ Kay Slay mixtapes accomplished this by including rap battles between some of the most popular stars the industry has ever seen. The popular tapes helped him earn a major recording contract and earn a number of prestigious industry awards. With the track record that he has so far, it seems likely that he will remain one of the top DJs of his time.