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..
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.
Mizell played keyboards, bass, and live drums on Run-D.M.C's album Raising Hell in addition to his turntable work. 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. 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. On consecutive Christmas holidays, Mizell survived a car accident and a gunshot wound to the leg.
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.
On October 30, 2002, Mizell was shot and killed in a Merrick Boulevard recording studio in Jamaica, Queens. The other person in the room, 25-year-old Urieco Rincon, was shot in the ankle and survived.
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."
Jay's influence gave a solid foundation for hip hop to build upon and even is said to have made L.A.'s gangsta rap style possible. He also has had an influence on Modern Rock including, former Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello, vocalist Mike Shinoda and DJ Mr. Hahn of Linkin Park. DJ Hahn stated, "This is a tragic loss for the music community. Jam Master Jay was not only a pioneer and icon of hip hop music but also a primary influence for me musically. Shinoda added, "In the shadow of this tragedy, I hope our focus can be kept on remembrance of Jam Master Jay's groundbreaking achievements and contributions to hip-hop music and culture."
On this cartoon style design by Listen Clothing's own RIFF RAFF, Listen Pay tribute to Jay... and all falling Hip Hop angels...
Price:$25.00
