October 2003, VOL. 4, NO. 10 | Return
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BET NIGHTLY NEWS SETS FIVE-PART INVESTIGATIVE REPORT ON UNSOLVED MURDER OF HIP HOP LEGEND JAM MASTER JAY
Family Members, Friends of Jam Master Jay Finally Break Their Silence After One Year
New York, NY - (10/28/03) - To mark the one-year anniversary of the murder of renowned disc jockey Jam Master Jay of the legendary hip hop group Run DMC, BET has announced it will televise a five-part investigative series on the unsolved murder case November 3-7 on BET NIGHTLY NEWS at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT. The series was developed from more than 18 hours of interviews with over a dozen sources over a period of three months, including the immediate family of Jam Master Jay; some of the victim's closest friends; and a key witness present during the slaying last October in a Queens, New York recording studio owned by the DJ.
"While mainstream media has barely scratched the surface in the investigation of the murder of Jam Master Jay, his family, friends and the African-American community still have many unanswered questions," said Nina Henderson Moore, BET Executive Vice President of News, Public Affairs and Program Acquisitions. "With this investigative series, we hope to uncover some of those answers, while also taking a look at the disturbing trend of unsolved murder cases involving African Americans."
BET NIGHTLY NEWS reporter Janell Snowden conducts the interviews throughout the series, revealing publicly some of the issues and suspicions that people closest to Jam Master Jay have kept silent about since his murder. "One year later and without anyone having been brought to justice for this crime, it is clear that Jam Master Jay's family and friends remain frustrated with the lack of closure to this case," said Snowden. "We're grateful that Jam Master Jay's family and friends were willing to share with BET NIGHTLY NEWS their thoughts and emotions as they, like the many fans of Jam Master Jay and Run DMC, wait for the case to be solved."
The following are highlights from the upcoming BET NIGHTLY NEWS five-part series examining the unsolved murder case of hip hop legend Jam Master Jay:
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Monday, November 3: Interview with a New York Police detective who explains why this murder has not been solved. This segment also includes a computer-generated layout of the murder scene as described by police experts.
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Tuesday November 4: Exclusive interview with Randy Allen, a witness present in the recording studio the night of the murder. Allen gives his account of what happened that night.
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Wednesday November 5: Connie Mizell, mother of Jam Master Jay, discusses for the first time on television her difficulty coping with the pain of her son's loss, and discloses her theories on why her son was murdered.
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Thursday November 6: Possible motives for Jam Master Jay's death are examined. While investigators have not disclosed any motives, family members and friends of Jam Master Jay reveal their own theories.
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Friday November 7: Terri-Corley Mizell, widow of the murder victim, and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, member of the rap group Run DMC, discuss the hardship of dealing with the murder of Jam Master Jay. BET NIGHTLY NEWS also speaks with the lead detectives on the case about what's next in their investigation.
ABOUT BET
BET, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B), is the nation's
leading television network providing quality entertainment, music, news
and public affairs programming for the African-American audience. The BET
Network reaches more than 75 million households according to Nielsen Media
Research, and can be seen in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.
BET is a dominant consumer brand in the urban marketplace with a diverse
group of branded businesses: BET.com, the Number 1 Internet portal for
African Americans; BET Digital Networks - BET Jazz, BET Gospel and BET Hip
Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET
Event Productions, specializing in a full range of event production
services, including event management, venue selection, talent recruitment,
sound, lighting and stage production; and BET Books, the nation's leading
publisher of African-American themed romance novels under the Arabesque
Books label, and publisher of new imprints Sepia and New Spirit.
(distributed through BlackPR.com/BlackNews.com)
Theories on Why Jam Master Jay Was Shot to Death in His New York Studio
Many theories surround the tragic death of Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay. Some say he may have been involved in a money dispute because he was drowning in debt. Others say he was unfortunately caught in the middle of a rap rivalry with those who associate with known criminals. Investigators dismiss this theory because tensions in the hip-hop community were not heightened at the time of Jay's death.
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10-31-02. Jam Master Jay, DJ of Run-DMC, 37, was fatally shot in the head in Queens on October 30 at a Merrick Boulevard studio, near the neighborhood he grew up in. Urieco Rincon, 25, was also shot in the leg. Five other people in the studio at the time remain unharmed. Police are investigating the murder which occurred around 7:30 p.m. Two men were buzzed into the second-floor studio, located above a restaurant and check-cashing business, shortly before shots were fired inside its lounge. No arrests have been made. Jay's death is shocking because, however reminiscent it is of the shooting deaths of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., he, nor the group were associated with violence or the thug life. Run-DMC promote education and unity. In 1986, outraged by fatal L.A. gang violence, they called for a day of peace between warring gang members. They often let local musicians record for free at the studio and had remained in their old neighborhood as a way of giving back to the community. |
Hip-Hop Community Reactions
Chuck D, founder of hip-hop group Public Enemy, is outraged at the continued senseless violence. He blames the record companies and advertising for perpetuating a violent climate. He says, "when it comes to us, we're disposable commodities."
Doctor Dre, a New York radio station D.J. and long-time friend of Jay said, "This is not a person who went out looking for trouble . . . He's known as a person that builds, that creates and is trying to make the right things happen.''
Funkmaster Flex said he was "such a good person. Sometimes when we talk about people passing away, sometimes you forget to say you miss a good person. ... For us who knew Jay and other artists who knew Jay, [he] may be one of the few people who embraced things that are new, from artists to DJs. He's one of the people from the early '80s who has a relationship with a lot of artists."
History of Run-DMC
For almost two decades, Run DMC, consisting of Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell), Run (Joseph Simmons) and DMC (Darryl McDaniels), have been touching the lives of people who love hip-hop. In 1983, they released their first single, "It's Like That" and "Sucker MC's." They introduced hip-hop to MTV with "Rock Box," King of Rock," "My Adidas," "It's Tricky," and "Walk This Way," while rockin' the gold chains, Adidas, and black jogging or leather suits; and are credited with starting the trend of combining rap with rock 'n' roll music. In early 2002, the rap trio was immortalized on Hollywood's Rock Walk. They also starred in the 1985 cult classic movie, "Krush Groove" and the 1988 "Tougher Than Leather." They recently completed a tour with Kid Rock and Aerosmith. They were scheduled to perform on Halloween at a Washington Wizards half-time show. They were also working on a 20th anniversary LP of their greatest hits, which would have been their eighth album. Run-DMC was like the Beatles of rap. According to Ice Cube, "they're the Rolling Stones of the rap game. They're pioneers. Run-DMC made rap emerge out of hip-hop to be the signature art."
Several of Run-DMC's songs boast about his DJ skills, like "Jam Master Jammin." Run stated in a 1988 interview that "We'll never have a band. That's our band." On his own, Jam Master Jay, signed Onyx to his JMJ Records imprint and helped produce their 1993 multi-platinum debut, Bacdaf-up.
In Memory of Jam Master Jay
Jam Master Jay, born on January 21, 1965, grew up in Hollis Queens, New York. He is survived by a wife and three kids. As they say, "The good always die young.'' Rest in Peace, your legacy will definitely live on through hip-hop's continued mass appeal and growth.