Jam Master Jay Murder Trial: Run-DMC Co-Founder’s Case Finally Opens 20 Years After His Death

His murder was a shock for the rap world: co-founder of the legendary trio Run-DMC, Jam Master Jay was shot dead in 2002 in New York, amid a drug scandal. The trial for this murder finally opened on Monday.

Two men, Ronald Washington, 59, and Karl Jordan Jr, 40, suspected of being the shooter, appeared in New York federal court, which began Monday with jury selection before the case is heard.

Both are on trial for the murder of the DJ, who was shot dead on October 30, 2002 inside his recording studio, in the borough of Queens where the group Run-DMC was formed in the early 1980s.

Several thousand people at his funeral

The death of the artist, at the age of 37, and who left three children, caused immense emotion in the world of hip-hop, and 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 Latifa, 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.

One of the first major groups of this cultural movement

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 was often considered 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.

Avec ses tubes “It’s like that” ou “It’s Tricky” and their first albums “Run-DMC” (1984), “King of Rock” (1985) and “Raising Hell” (1986), the trio also marked the transition to a new school of hip-hop, with more sounds rock and political texts, like the Beastie Boys or Public Enemy.

Their cover of Aerosmith’s song “Walk This Way”, in duet with the rock group, has remained a cult song. And the track “My Adidas,” and Run-DMC’s 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 decadesbefore 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.

2024-01-22 21:28:00
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