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Jam-Master Jay
Background information
Birth name	Jason William Mizell
Also known as	Jam-Master Jay, DJ Jazzy Jase, Jam Master Funk
Born	January 21, 1965(1965-01-21) Brooklyn, New York
Died	October 30, 2002 (aged 37) Jamaica, Queens, New York
Genres	East Coast Rap, Hip hop, Rapcore
Occupations	Disc jockey, Producer
Years active	1983–2002
Labels	Jam Master Jay, Profile
Associated acts	Run-D.M.C. Chuck D Onyx

Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), also known as Jam-Master Jay and Jay Gambulos, was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-D.M.C..

[edit] Early life

Mizell was born in Brooklyn, New York and moved to Hollis, Queens at age 10 with his family. He played bass and drums in several garage bands prior to joining Run-D.M.C.

[edit] Career

Mizell played keyboards, bass, and live drums on all of Run-D.M.C's albums in addition to his turntable work.^{[citation needed]} Mizell remained in his childhood neighborhood his entire life. He founded the 'Scratch DJ Academy' in Manhattan for children interested in DJing.

In 1989, Mizell established the label Jam Master Jay Records, which scored a success in 1993 with the band Onyx. He also connected Chuck D with Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin. (Def Jam's other founder, Russell Simmons, is the brother of Rev Run.) After achieving relative prominence, Mizell was known to use the alias Jay Gambulos so as to avoid unwanted public attention. He is also related to the Mizell Brothers, a popular production team for Gary Bartz, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, and others.

In the 1990s, Mizell survived a car accident and two gunshot wounds.

On April 4, 2009, Run-D.M.C. was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Eminem presented and Mizell's mother accepted the honor on her son's behalf.

[edit] Murder

On October 30, 2002, Mizell was shot and killed in a Merrick Boulevard recording studio in Jamaica, Queens. The other person in the room, 23-year-old Urieco Rincon, was shot in the ankle and survived.^[1]

The New York Daily News reported that authorities investigated whether Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, a convicted drug dealer and longtime friend of Murder Inc. heads Irv and Chris Gotti, targeted Mizell because the DJ defied an industry blacklist of rapper 50 Cent that was imposed because of "Ghetto Qu'ran", a song 50 Cent wrote about McGriff's drug history. A 2003 affidavit says: "Law enforcement agents are investigating the possibility that [Jason] Mizell was murdered for defying the blacklist of 50 Cent."

In April 2007, federal prosecutors named Ronald "Tenad" Washington as an accomplice in the murder. Washington also is a suspect in the 1995 murder of Randy "Stretch" Walker, a close associate of the late rapper Tupac Shakur. According to court papers filed by the prosecution, Washington “pointed his gun at those present in the studio, ordered them to get on the ground and provided cover for his associate to shoot and kill Jason Mizell."

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Jam-Master Jay, 1965-2002, Salon, November 1, 2002
• Jam-Master Jay Killed in Shooting, SOHH: The Wire, October 31, 2002
• Run-DMC star, 37, was hip-hop pioneer, CNN, October 31, 2002
• 'Terrible loss': Hip-hop reacts to Jam-Master Jay slaying, CNN, October 31, 2002
• Run-DMC DJ slain in recording studio, CNN, October 31, 2002
• Remembering Jam Master Jay in the Midst of Chaos, Davey D's Hip-Hop Corner, October 31, 2002
• Interview with DJ Times, 2000
• Suspect named in Jam-Master Jay's death, MSNBC, April 17, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
• Suspect named in 2002 slaying of Jam-Master Jay, USA Today, April 18, 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2007.
• Jam-Master Jay, Witness Identifies Killer's Tattoo, HHL: News, November 5, 2007
• Jam-Master Jay at Discogs
• Jam-Master Jay discography at MusicBrainz