For readers of this newsletter it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m a big fan of Hip-Hop. One of my favorite groups growing up was Run-DMC.

I don’t remember how I came to have a ticket to this sold-out, invite-only concert at a small club in Albany, NY called Valentines on March 15 of 2000, but I was only able to get 1 ticket so I went alone. This wasn’t the 1st or even 10th concert I’ve been to by myself during my lifetime of going to concerts, but it was the most intimate concert venue I’ve ever been to. 

As Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay walked through the crowd, no one rushed them to try and get a signature. The crowd sang along to all their hits like “King of Rock” and “My Adidas”, but also some of their lesser known anthems like “Christmas in Hollis”
I remember telling my future wife about the concert afterward, and how much I wish I could have scored an extra ticket. We agreed next time they went on tour we’d go check them out.

Nearly 2 years later Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay, was gunned down at his recording studio.

For the next 22 years the world would wonder who would ever want to kill such an iconic musician and DJ? 

Now we have our answer, and it’s unleashed more questions about who Jam Master Jay really was.

In the aftermath of the trial of Karl Jordan Jr., who was Jam Master Jay’s godson, and Ronald Washington, who was one of his childhood friends, both men were found guilty of killing 37-year-old Jason Mizell in 2002 after they were cut out of a lucrative cocaine deal.

That’s right; it turns out Jam Master Jay wasn’t just one of the world’s most famous DJs. He was also a prolific drug trafficker who acquired 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of cocaine that then decided to cut both Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington out of the deal that could have given them a $200,000 payday.

Greed.

This case came down to a single word, but the ramifications of that word means future generations will never be able to witness the musical genius of Jam Master Jay, and his group Run-DMC would never be the same again.

RIP Jam Master Jay.

2 Men Are Convicted in 2002 Killing of Run-DMC D.J. Jam Master Jay