"God damn, that DJ made my day!"
-Run DMC in Peter Piper

Jason Mizell was born on January 21, 1965 in New York, NY and raised in Hollis, Queens. After he graduated from high school in 1982, he hooked up with friends (Run and DMC) to scratch the turntables for the newly formed Run DMC. At that point Mizell became Jam Master Jay. From there Jay and the Kings from Queens would go on to shape a sound for generations to follow. The first time mainstream America saw a DJ scratching it was Jam Master Jay (Rock Box, 1984).

After the 1980s success of Run DMC, JMJ moved on to produce for The Real Roxanne's 1988 debut album as well as signing and producing Onyx for their 1993 record Bacdafucup (Slam! da-da-duh the rap-rock fusion is a trademark sound of the original bad boys).

The 37-year-old DJ and Hip-Hop Pioneer performed for the last time on Tuesday in Alabama. On Wednesday evening, October 30, 2002, two men were buzzed into his second-floor, Merrick Boulevard recording studio shortly before shots were fired inside its lounge at 7:30. Jam Master Jay was shot once in the head and died at the scene, said Detective Robert Price, a police spokesman. As of this writing no arrests have been made (but I will update this node as information becomes available). Mizell is survived by a wife and three children.

Currently (as of January 16, 2003), Investigators are focusing on Mizell’s financial debt as a possible motive; he may have owed money to many parties. Reports indicate he owed at least $226,000 in taxes to the state of New York (another report goes as high as $348,400 in personal taxes, interest and penalties). Police had also questioned and cleared another man to whom Mizell owed $10,000. The investigation continues, with a $100,000 reward being offered (contact the 103rd Precinct's Detective Bureau with, or for, information).

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I couldn't believe there wasn't a node here, but I will surely fill this out in memoriam.

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