Jam Master Jay's Legacy 16 mos after shooting

[Afrochic]

Jam Master Jay Dies in Shooting

NEW YORK (AP) - Jam Master Jay, part of the pioneering rap trio Run DMC, was shot and killed Wednesday at a recording studio in Queens, a law enforcement source told The Associated Press.



The shooting happened on Merrick Boulevard in the Jamaica section of Queens, said the source, who requested anonymity. Television reports said Run DMC fans were already gathering at the scene, some hugging each other and crying.


The 37-year-old rapper's real name was Jason Mizell.


The law enforcement source said the rapper was shot in the head about 7:30 p.m. and a second person was shot in the ankle and rushed to a nearby hospital. The source said the shooter was at large.


Run DMC is widely credited with helping bring hip-hop into music's mainstream, including the group's smash collaboration with Aerosmith (news - web sites) on the 1980s standard "Walk This Way."


"We always knew rap was for everyone," Mizell said in a 2001 interview with MTV. "Anyone could rap over all kinds of music."


"It wasn't the soulful R&B of the '70s and '80s," he said of the group's early work. "So we didn't want to be like the soft R&B. We wanted to go hardcore, so we put the rock-and-roll on our rap."


The trio released a greatest-hits album earlier this year. In 2001, the rappers produced Crown Royal, breaking an eight-year silence.


In 1986, the trio said they were outraged by the rise of fatal gang violence in that Los Angeles area. They called for a day of peace between warring street gangs.


"This is the first town where you feel the gangs from the minute you step into town to the time you leave," Mizell said at the time.

[miss priss]

I first heard this same report on the Early Morning Show which stated,"Jam Master Jay is the latest in a line of hip-hop artists to fall victim to violence. Rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur were murdered within seven months of each other in 1996 and 1997 - crimes that some believe were the result of an East Coast-West Coast rap war."

Now why does a rapper murdered in N. Y. has to be in the same breath of a EC-WC rap war? C'mon C'mon now!

This is so sad he was truly a pioneer in the (black) music culture.

[FeeFee]

I too heard about his death this morning. His death was reported on Good Day New York. I am still shocked to hear about JMJ's untimely demise. This is truly a sad day in the world of music.

[zetafg]

I am TOTALLY shocked over this tragedy.

I do NOT believe his death should be mixed up with the past rappers EC-WC rivalry.

From what I've heard and seen from him, he was not mixed up in all that stuff.

My Prayers go out to his family and dear friends.

[hipshimmy]

I am just as shocked as everyone else. I remember listening to RunDMC during my elementary school years. It feels like a part of my childhood just died. I am truly grieving. Why would someone do such a thing?

[RedefinedDiva]

My head hurts. Why in the world would someone want to kill Jay? Didn't ANYBODY see ANYTHING?!

[oneinamillion]

Originally posted by RedefinedDiva
My head hurts. Why in the world would someone want to kill Jay? Didn't ANYBODY see ANYTHING?!

you know as always "nobody see nuthin". Now someone can see what man you bringing in and out of your house but nobody sees mess like this!!!!

[Peaches-n-Cream]

This is so sad. I grew up and still live in Queens, NY. I remember them being the biggest deal when I was growing up. We used to go roller skating and there would be rap and break dancing contests. It was a lot of fun. Everyone tried to imitate RUN DMC. This is so sad.

[Dancerella1908]

I woke this morning to my husband saying in shock and disbelief" What somebody killed Jam Master Jay"!! The early news was on and the story was being reported.

This is so sad. Most of us grew up to listening and loving Run DMC's music. When will all of this violence end!

Jason Mizell b.k.a Jam Master Jay will truly be missed. All day here in Detroit they played the groups songs and it brought back so many memories. The Adidas sweat suits, the Kangols, the shell toe Adidas shoes,school dances, our since of fashion,style and culture! My condolences go out to all of his family and friends.

[kiml122]

It is now day another day and I am still in a state of shock and confusion over the death of Jam Master Jay. Run DMC was not a gropu that talked of violence, they rapped about staying school, uplifting yourself, and plain of having a good time. Jay was about helping the community and things of that nature. There is no way that this can be compared to that EC/WC mess. This is just so unreal. I caught the end of 106th and Park yesterday and Redman had called in. He made a statement that is very interesting. He stated that the person was buzzed in, which I had previous read, but then he stated to becareful of who you call a friend. This makes me beleive that Jay knew the person that shot him. Also they were gunning for Jay specifically because the other person was shot in the ankle/arm depending on which paper you read. Just something that makes you go hmmmmm.

My favorite song by RUN DMC was "Sucker MC". This was a group that I grew up with, Jay was a year older than me, his b-day was a day before mine, I'm just really tripping because I can't believe that someone murdered him, and that he is gone.

[zetafg]

Originally posted by oneinamillion


you know as always "nobody see nuthin". Now someone can see what man you bringing in and out of your house but nobody sees mess like this!!!!

HELLO!!!

[Bamboozled]

From another website...


New York authorities have a suspect in the murder of rap pioneer Jam Master Jay. High-ranking NYPD officials told The New York Times that the man they’re looking for had been in a beef with Jay for 10 years. Investigators say the suspect had threatened one of Jay's associates over the phone several weeks ago. The man reportedly said that he was “coming up” to New York from the South to settle the conflict. Police have not identified the suspect but witnesses to the shooting say he was a black man who weighed around 180-pounds and was about 6-foot-2. He is said to have worn a black sweat suit and black hat when leaving the scene. Police asked anyone with information about the case to call their Crimestoppers tip line at 800-577-TIPS.

[AKA2D '91]

According to the newspaper, a suspect was upset that Jay didn't help "launch his career." One of Jay's associates/ business partners supposedly was shot last week.

[zetafg]

I gather that these people did not think before they reacted.

If he owed money, or didn't launch someones career, killing him is NOT going to get the debt paid or the career launched.

They just messed over themselves ROYALLY!!!

[ykimber]

Frustration Grows in Rapper Case
Nov 7, 3:56 AM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — The search for the masked gunman who fired a single bullet to the head of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay has been hampered by silence from the hip-hop world and the streets where he grew up, rap industry notables and police say.

At a news conference promoting a fund for the slain disc jockey's family, musicians and music executives, including rap mogul Russell Simmons, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Foxy Brown and Busta Rhymes, pleaded with the public to give money to the fund and phone in tips to police.

The celebrities said they already had contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the fund and would be distributing fliers asking for the public's cooperation.

"A lot of people are silent in the community," Simmons said. "The police department is not at fault."

Joe "Run" Simmons also announced that he and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels — the surviving members of the group — would no longer perform as Run-DMC.

Mizell worked the turntables as Simmons and McDaniels rapped a string of hits over nearly 20 years. He had been mentoring younger artists in recent years in the second act of a career that helped make hip-hop commercially viable.