Coolio
American rapper and actor (1963-2022)
Jam Master Jay, the influential DJ of the iconic hip hop group Run-DMC, was tragically murdered in 2002. His killers were finally caught and convicted years later, marking a long-awaited resolution to this high-profile case that had gripped the music industry.
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About the Jam Master Jay
Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the biggest hip hop groups and are credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music.
Mizell was murdered in his Queens, New York recording studio in a 2002 shooting that remained cold until two perpetrators were arrested in 2020. In 2024, both perpetrators were found guilty of murdering Mizell and face between 20 years to life in prison. A third suspect in the murder was also arrested in 2023 and is awaiting trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason William Mizell, was an American musician and DJ who was the DJ for the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. He was a key figure in the 1980s when Run-DMC became one of the biggest hip hop groups and helped bring the genre into the mainstream.
Jam Master Jay was murdered in his Queens, New York recording studio in a 2002 shooting. The case remained cold for 18 years until two perpetrators were arrested in 2020 and later found guilty in 2024, facing 20 years to life in prison.
Jam Master Jay was the DJ for the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the biggest hip hop groups and were credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music, with Jam Master Jay playing a key role as the group’s DJ.
It took over 18 years to solve Jam Master Jay’s murder case. The case remained cold until 2020 when two perpetrators were arrested, and in 2024 they were found guilty and sentenced to between 20 years to life in prison. A third suspect was also arrested in 2023 and is awaiting trial.
Jam Master Jay and Run-DMC were highly influential in the hip hop industry during the 1980s. Run-DMC became one of the biggest hip hop groups at the time and were credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music, with Jam Master Jay playing a crucial role as the group’s DJ.
17 Quotes by Jam Master Jay
- 1.
At the beginning, it was me, Run and D, but D’s voice is messed up.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 2.
You really need to be on the edge and you have to keep your eyes open.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 3.
I was a drummer and I played the guitar.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 4.
Going to your set with the headphones on in the middle of the night so that your parents don’t know what you’re doing when you’re supposed to be asleep is great. I was rocking the bedroom. That was so much more fun when I got the 1200s.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 5.
With this CD technology, you can just remix a record right there on the spot.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 6.
Profile has half the publishing and they control and administer the publishing and distribute and own the records, so our group is a 10-point crew. But we got a lot of money off of the shows.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 7.
If I started at 13, by the time I was 14 I was already good enough to play in front of people. I started off playing drums when I was 5, so playing in front of people didn’t matter – not a problem.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 8.
Then I got a gig with an older friend who had the equipment and he played in this bar. They would bring me in the bar through the backdoor and I would DJ in the back room most of the night. Then they’d take me out the backdoor, so I was never really in the bar.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 9.
And I know how many DJ pools have grown and I know how DJing has grown in the overall, but that was the technical side of it to me. DJs were rolling around, looking for stuff to buy and looking to see what was in the store when they get there.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 10.
Then I just moved into being a DJ when that turned into the hottest thing.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 11.
I remember when I was coming up, the music stores where you could get guitar strings was where I got my records from. Now the place where you get your records from is where you can get your DJ mats and your mixers.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 12.
The technology is just so far gone. It’s just like back in the day you needed a suitcase just to have a cell phone. The battery was so heavy, it was like carrying a gallon of soda around with you all day.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 13.
I just wanted to be a part of the band. Actually, that’s what inspired me.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 14.
Believing in something and being a part of something you believe in and watching it work and coming from it.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 15.
How I dressed in high school is the way we dressed.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 16.
Back in the day, if someone said that hip hop and rap was a fad, that was a joke to me because they just didn’t know what they were talking about. In reality, there were so many people who didn’t know what they were talking about it.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)
- 17.
There’s no way that if you get participation out of a person can they say you didn’t rock it.
Jam Master JayAmerican hip hop musician (1965-2002)