Skip to main content
U.S.
CNN Europe CNN Asia
On CNN TV Transcripts Headline News CNN International About CNN.com Preferences
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SERVICES
 
 
 
SEARCH
Web CNN.com
powered by Yahoo!

No leads revealed in Run-DMC slaying

Fan: 'It's like one of the Beatles died'

Jam Master Jay
Jam Master Jay

   Story Tools

more video VIDEO
Jam Master Jay, the DJ of the pioneering rap group Run-DMC, was shot in the head and killed in a New York recording studio. WABC's Jeff Rossen reports (October 31)
premium content
RELATED
• Interactive gallery: Reactions to the death of Jam Master Jay 
• Interactive discography: The work of Run-DMC 
• The Run-DMC Web site: Run's House external link
Africana.com: Run-DMC external link
QUICKVOTE
Who had more musical influence?

Jam Master Jay
Tupac Shakur
Notorious B.I.G.
VIEW RESULTS
Run-DMC on JMJ

He has a little soul, to rock 'n' roll

Every record that he touches turns to gold
He's well conducted, self-instructed His styles were plied, heavily constructed
Mechanically inclined, and if you don't mind
We add spice to your life, time after time
And think about times, where he's a long laster
We rock our rhymes for the Jam-Master.

-- "Jam Master Jammin,"  from the album "King of Rock," 1985

NEW YORK (CNN) -- No leads have been reported by police investigating the shooting death of Jam Master Jay, the DJ of the legendary rap trio Run-DMC.

Jam Master Jay, 37, was shot in the head Wednesday night around 7:30 p.m. in a Queens recording studio, according to police. Another man, Urieco Rinco, 25, was shot in the leg and taken to a hospital, police said.

Investigators have found two .45-caliber shell casings, but no clues to the motive.

Witnesses described the shooter as a young black man in a white sweatsuit or sweatshirt.

Police said two gunmen were buzzed in to the building, went up to the second-floor studio and shot Jam Master Jay once at close range.

Fans of the group gathered outside the studio Wednesday night and through the day Thursday to pay their respects. (Gallery of reactions)

"It's like one of the Beatles died," said fan Ronald Williams. "They were the pioneers of this game as we know it." (Full obituary)

Rap pioneers

Jam Master Jay was born January 21, 1965 as Jason Mizell in the middle-class Hollis neighborhood of Queens, New York, according to the group's Web site. He linked up with Run (Joseph Simmons) and DMC (Darryl McDaniels) -- also from Hollis -- scratching turntables for the two rappers who had just graduated from high school.

A year later, in 1983, the group released their first single, "It's Like That."

Known for their loose Adidas-brand shoes, all-black outfits, and thumping beats, the trio is credited with beginning the current trend of combining rap music and rock 'n' roll in their hit remake of Aerosmith's "Walk this Way" in 1986, teaming up with the band's lead singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry.

Run-DMC was also the first rap group to be nominated for a Grammy, and the first rappers to have gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums. (Hip-hop world reacts to news of the shooting)

Group avoided feuds

Unlike other rap groups, Run-DMC avoided feuds with other rappers. Run is an ordained minister, DMC overcame alcoholism, and Jam Master Jay was a married father of three children.

Any possible link between Jay's death and a rap war was dismissed by Russell Simmons, the founder of Def Jam records, Run-DMC's original label, and the brother of Joseph Simmons.

"They represented everything good and positive about hip-hop," said Russell Simmons in a statement.

"Before the media rushes to attribute this to East Coast - West Coast violence, they should examine Run-DMC's two decades of contributions and Jam Master Jay's personal character," he said.

"This has nothing more to do with so-called East Coast-West Coast violence than the snipers in Washington did."



Story Tools

Top Stories
Father guilty of killing 9 of his children
Top Stories
CNN/Money: Security alert issued for 40 million credit cards
 
 
 
 
  SEARCH CNN.COM:
© 2004 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us.
external link
All external sites will open in a new browser.
CNN.com does not endorse external sites.