DJ Flash was born Clifton Leon (Lee) Johnson in 1957 in Fresno, California. He attended high schools in Sacramento and Taft, California He began his musical career at radio station KTKR 1310 AM in Taft and went on to become one of the founding members of The Rappers Rap Group.

In 1992, he produced the critically acclaimed four-volume set "West Coast Rap - The First Dynasty" for Rhino Records, followed by a compilation featuring early tracks by Ice-T, called "The Classic Collection". After the success of these five albums, DJ Flash launched his own label Hitman Music in 1994, a joint venture with Triple XXX/Sony Music. Hitman's first release, a compilation featuring early tracks by Dr. Dre, sold over 250,000 units during its first week of release. Debuting at #6 on Billboards Rap Charts, and at #24 on Billboard Top 100, "Concrete Roots" remained on Billboards Top 100 for eight consecutive weeks. Other DJ Flash productions "Cold As Ever" (Hitman/Blue Dolphin), and "The Original 2 Live Crew", which featured early recordings by The 2 Live Crew.