Men carry the casket of rapper Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay, during his funeral in New York on November 5, 2002 (HENNY RAY ABRAMS)
The trial for the murder, more than 20 years ago in New York, of Jam Master Jay, hip-hop pioneer and co-founder of the legendary trio Run-DMC, is set to get to the heart of the matter on Monday with the opening arguments of the prosecution and defense.
The death of Jam Master Jay, shot dead on October 30, 2002 in his recording studio in Queens, the working-class borough where Run-DMC was formed in the early 1980s, was a huge shock to the world. rap.
Two men, Ronald Washington, 59, and Karl Jordan Jr, 40, suspected of being the shooter, appear in New York federal court, where jurors, selected last week, will begin examining the case. ‘affair.
The murder, against the backdrop of a drug affair, of the artist, who left three children at the age of 37, recalled the violent deaths of two other giants, Tupac Shakur, assassinated in Las Vegas in 1996, and The Notorious BIG, killed in Los Angeles in 1997.
His funeral in the Allen Cathedral was grandiose, bringing together the elite of American rap of the time, from LL Cool J to Queen Latifah, including Chuck D (Public Enemy) and his friends from Run-DMC, Joseph ” Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, in the middle of several thousand people.
– Long unresolved –
If hip-hop had already experienced its first successes at the time, with the songs “Rapper’s Delight” (The Sugarhill Gang) or “The Message” (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), Run-DMC is often considered to be the one of the first major groups of this cultural movement which has become dominant throughout the world, and whose birth 50 years ago, in August 1973, in the Bronx, another borough of New York, was celebrated last year.
With its hits “It’s like that” or “It’s Tricky” and their first albums “Run-DMC” (1984), “King of Rock” (1985) and “Raising Hell” (1986), the trio also marked an evolution towards a new style of hip-hop, with more rock sounds and political lyrics, like the Beastie Boys or Public Enemy.
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Their cover of Aerosmith’s song “Walk This Way”, a duet with the rock group, has remained a cult song. And the title “My Adidas”, followed by a Run-DMC collaboration with the sneaker brand, is also considered the first act in a long history of partnerships between hip-hop stars and street wear.
The murder of Jam Master Jay, who became a hip-hop figure and a talent revealer, remained unsolved for two decades, before the announcement in August 2022 by prosecutors of the indictment of Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr, also prosecuted for drug trafficking.
According to their theory, the murder was motivated by an argument between Ronald Washington and Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason William Mizell, over the resale of several kilos of cocaine.
A third suspect, Jay Bryant, was charged in May 2023, but he will be tried separately and at a later date.
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2024-01-28 20:07:00
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