Jam Master Jay

Born Jason William Mizell, Jam Master Jay was the legendary DJ of the most influential hip hop group of all time, Run-D.M.C. On the group’s third album, Raising Hell, considered their breakthrough, selling three million records, Jam Master Jay played keyboards, bass and live drums in addition to his stellar turntable mixes. In 1989, he established his own label, Jam Master Jay records, and scored success with the hip hop group Onyx. Jam Master Jay is one of the first producers to give an up-and-coming emcee from his native Queens 50-Cent an opportunity to record. In 2002, Jam Master Jay founded the Scratch DJ Academy in Manhattan to teach others the art of DJ’ing and production. He was killed in 2002 in a recording studio in Jamaica, Queens, NY.