became the first Los Angeles radio station to play hip hop music in 1983. Under new program director and disc jockey Gregory "Greg The Mack Attack" MacMillan, hired from KMJQ in Houston, added hip hop to the station's playlist to appeal to mostly young Black and Latino listeners. DJ Dr. Dre and DJ Yella Boy became the first mixer DJs at the station. By September 1983, KDAY upgraded its sound to AM stereo. Dan Charnas described that move as "laughable" and "sounding like two tiny AM radios playing side by side." Def Jam acts such as Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Whodini, The Fat Boys, E.P.M.D., 3rd Bass, and Public Enemy dominated the hip hop scene, KDAY brought their music to a new audience on the West Coast. In 1987, Compton-based gangsta rap group N.W.A made its radio debut on KDAY. In the first ratings period under MacMillan's leadership, KDAY's ratings beat another Los Angeles black AM station, KGFJ, and "began to enjoy a second life as the only rap-friendly station in town and, frankly, in the entire country." KDAY raised awareness about the growing problem of gang violence in Los Angeles. Lee Marshall, known on-air as "King News", gave news and commentaries relevant to the African-American and Hispanic communities, often warning about the troubles caused by gangs. After violence in the stands forced the cancellation of a Run-DMC concert at the Long Beach Arena for the group's Raising Hell tour, KDAY organized a "Day of Peace" on October 9, 1986. In a two-hour special, KDAY featured Run-DMC, singer Barry White, and boxer Paul Gonzales appealing to rival gangs to stop feuding and opened phone lines for callers to describe gangs' impact in their communities. There were no murders or incidents of gang violence that day. Within two weeks, the Bloods and Crips, the two largest gangs in Los Angeles, signed a peace treaty. In 1990, MacMillan left KDAY to work for FM rival KJLH. That same year, realtor Fred Sands, who also owned iconic heavy metal station KNAC, bought KDAY for $7.2 million. On March 28, 1991, at 1 p.m., KDAY ended its music format. As a tribune to the original AM station, Redondo Beach FM station KZAB changed its call sign to KDAY and format to classic hip hop in September 2004 in a simulcast with KDAI in Riverside. KBLA (1991–present) KDAY became KBLA on April 5, 1991, and changed