Overview
Jason 'Jam Master Jay' Mizell
Known For
Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music
Untold stories behind the culture-defining and newsmaking musical performances, sketches...
And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop
The film documents the development of hip hop culture since...
Biography
Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the biggest hip hop groups and are credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. Mizell was murdered in his Queens, New York recording studio in a 2002 shooting that remained cold until two perpetrators were arrested in 2020. In 2024, both perpetrators were found guilty of murdering Mizell and face between 20 years to life in prison. A third suspect in the murder was also arrested in 2023 and is awaiting trial.