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Two men who were charged with the death of Hip-Hop icon Jam Master Jay were found guilty of his murder in federal court.
On Tuesday afternoon (February 27), a jury found Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington guilty of the murder of Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay, the DJ of the legendary Hip-Hop group Run DMC. Jam Master Jay was slain inside a recording studio on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens on October 30, 2002. Jordan, who is the DJ’s godson, was charged with firing the fatal shot into Mizell’s head. The verdict came after three days of deliberation by the jury, who found both men guilty on all charges, bringing closure to one of the most elusive unresolved murders in Hip-Hop.
“Although it appeared the case would go cold, law enforcement never wavered in its effort to bring justice,” U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said after the verdict in a statement. “It’s no mystery why it took so long. Witnesses were terrified that they would be retaliated against if they cooperated with law enforcement.” Prosecutors had presented 35 witnesses including Jam Master Jay’s closest friends and one associate who testified to his being involved in cocaine trafficking, and two important individuals in Lydia High and Tony Rincon who witnessed the killing. High worked for Jam Master Jay’s record label and was held at gunpoint by Washington, while Rincon was shot in the leg as the two assailants ambushed him. Both had denied knowing what happened in the past, citing intimidation from Jordan and his family. “Time solved this case,” said prosecutor Mark Misorek.
The murder took place after Jordan and Washington got cut out of a deal that Jam Master Jay had arranged with a dealer in Baltimore, Maryland reportedly worth over $100,000 to distribute cocaine. Both men potentially face 20 years in prison after being convicted. Attorney General Merrick Garland had instructed prosecutors to avoid seeking the death penalty. A third man, Jay Bryant, is set to face trial in 2026. Bryant is believed to be the man who let Jordan and Washington in through a locked fire exit after he came in through the front. When asked if justice came with a price, Jam Master Jay’s cousin Ryan Thompson replied: “Yes. [I have] to answer yes because I didn’t know either until I was told. We wasn’t brought up like that. That’s not how we were raised.”
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The trial of two men accused of murdering Hip-Hop icon and Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay over a drug deal began in a federal court in Brooklyn.
On Monday (Jan. 29), the anticipated trial of two men accused of the murder of former Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay began at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, with opening statements from the prosecution and the defense. Ronald Washington, 59, and Karl Jordan Jr., 40, are alleged to have killed Jam Master Jay aka Jason Mizell inside of a recording studio in Queens, New York, on Oct. 30, 2002. In opening statements, Assistant U.S. Attorney Miranda Gonzalez stated that the two men did so after being cut out of a drug deal that Jam Master Jay was involved in.
“They were left with nothing,” Gonzalez said, according to Reuters. The deal was estimated to pull in $200,000 after Jam Master Jay had met with a cocaine distributor from the Midwest with the narcotics slated to be sold in Baltimore, with Washington and Jordan set to take part – until they were told they were out. “It was an ambush. An execution. And you will learn that it was motivated by greed and by revenge,” Gonzalez continued, promising jurors they would hear from witnesses who claimed that the men bragged about the shooting as well as Tony Rincon and Lydia High who were also in the studio that night.
“Why bite the hand that feeds you?” argued Ezra Spilke, the attorney for Washington in his opening remarks, citing “aging memories” as the reason for his client being in that position. If convicted of the charges, both men face a maximum life sentence in prison with a mandatory minimum of 20 years. The courtroom audience was filled with Jam Master Jay’s loved ones, including DJ Hurricane. The trial is expected to last four weeks.
The murder of Jam Master Jay had been unsolved until authorities in 2020 arrested Washington and Jordan with a 10-count federal indictment. Both men pleaded not guilty. A third man, Jay Bryant, was arrested last year after DNA evidence collected from the scene and surveillance video captured him entering the studio at the time. His trial will take place in 2026.
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As Hip-Hop pioneers, Run-DMC’s legacy is undeniable and New York City is cementing it further by giving the group its own day.
Through a press release, it was announced that New York City Mayor Eric Adams bestowed Rev. Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels with a proclamation declaring an official “Run-DMC Day”, which will forever be celebrated on August 9th. The news comes as the Hollis, Queens group was feted with the Run-DMC Pop-Up Celebration by Adidas Originals. The group made the news public through their Instagram page.
“Coinciding with the group’s Friday (August 11th) return to headline the Hip Hop 50 Live Concert, the pop-up gives fans access to merchandise from Barriers Worldwide and the Crate NY in addition to coolers in partnership with Igloo and other Run-DMC novelty merchandise items,” the press release also stated, taking time to acknowledge the group’s longstanding partnership with Adidas. The pop-up will run through August 12th at Bleecker Street Trading in Manhttan.
The honor comes as the group is fresh off of their sensational performance at the Rock The Bells Festival at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, New York last Saturday. They will also be performing at the Hip Hop 50 Live concert to be held at Yankee Stadium, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the culture since the first jam held by DJ Kool Herc at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in The Bronx in 1973. It adds to a run some believed to be their final one, as DMC had stated before in an interview with Rock The Bells that the group would take its final onstage bow this past April.
“Run-DMC is over,” he said at the time. “The only way Run-DMC gets back together is if The Beatles get back together. Can that happen?” He continued: “The final show that we are ever going to do is going to be at Madison Square Garden in April. It’s going to be the last episode of the documentary we’re doing. Run-DMC’s last show ever. ‘Cause it’s time for Run to go be Paul McCartney and me to be John Lennon. We done did what we could do.”
McDaniels and Simmons, along with the late Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell, forever shaped Hip-Hop culture with their debut album in 1983. Attaining superstardom, the group was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award from the Grammy Awards in 2016.
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The Rock The Bells Festival this year is getting more jam-packed with Hip-Hop’s greatest, as Run DMC and The Roots are now added to the lineup.
On Monday (July 17th), the festival announced the addition of the iconic group from Hollis, Queens, and the dynamic Hip-Hop band out of Philadelphia to the lineup. The Roots will back up LL Cool J and DJ Z-Trip during his set, akin to how they collaborated at the Grammy Awards earlier this year.
For Run DMC, their inclusion on the lineup brings them back to their home borough in celebration of the culture through the festival founded by fellow borough native LL Cool J. They also will be headliners at the “Hip Hop 50” concert event at Yankee Stadium on August 11th, considered to be their final show. The stellar lineup also features Rakim, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, De La Soul, MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, Redman & Method Man, Roxanne Shante’, Big Daddy Kane, Cold Crush Brothers, MC She Rock, Salt-N-Pepa and other special guests.
The news comes on the heels of Brooklyn’s own Boot Camp Clik announcing a partnership with Rock The Bells, led off by the group’s new single and video “Wotcha Call Strength”. It’s the first release by the collective in 16 years, done in honor of Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary. There will also be an exclusive merch drop at the festival, and Boot Camp Clik will also be on the lineup of performers at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens on August 5th.
“In honor and celebration of Hip Hop 50, we felt that the BCC’s catalog of work, contributions, and legacy needed to be recognized properly,” Duck Down Records CEO Drew “Dru-Ha” Friedman said in a statement. “It’s too easy to sit back and say the Hip Hop community should verify you and painstaking to go out and have to remind people with words, so we felt there was no better way to make a statement than to drop a new record with all the original members (RIP to Sean Price).”
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Hip-Hop is about to be celebrated like never before in The Bronx. Run-DMC is set to perform their final show at Yankee Stadium.
As spotted on The Grio the culture is to come alive for one magic night in the heart of the Boogie Down Bronx. On Friday, August 11 the genre’s biggest names will come together for a legendary, celebratory concert – Hip Hop 50 Live at Yankee Stadium. The can’t-miss milestone event will feature Run DMC’s “Bottom of the Ninth…The Walk-Off” performance which is being billed as their last ever set as a group. Both MC’s expressed their enthusiasm at closing out their careers in legendary fashion. “I am honored to hit the stage in the Bronx, the birthplace of Hip Hop and celebrate all of my heroes,” said RUN. “Aug 11th is Hip Hop’s 50th birthday! So…’Up in the Bronx’ where it all started we will be celebrating this historic moment in history!” shared DMC.
Hip Hop 50 Live will also feature some other high profile artists including Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and theme sets including “Queens Of Hip Hop” which will feature Eve, Lil Kim, Remy Ma and Trina. “Pillars of Hip-Hop” will feature Kool Herc & Cindy Campbell, Grandmaster Caz, Kurtis Blow, Melle Mel, Roxanne Shante, Scorpio and the Sugar Hill Gang, and the “Legendary DJ” set will have Clark Kent, Marley Marl, Mannie Fresh and Battlecat. Additional performers include: T.I., Fat Joe, Common, A$AP Ferg, EPMD, Ghostface Killah, Lupe Fiasco and Slick Rick.
Hip Hop 50 Live at Yankee Stadium is the latest announcement surrounding Mass Appeal’s Hip Hop 50 initiative – a massive cross-platform initiative that celebrates Hip Hop’s momentous anniversary in the most authentic and globally impactful way possible by acknowledging and recognizing Hip Hop as not only a genre but a movement that has impacted the worldwide community.
Tickets for Hip Hop 50 Live will become available beginning with presales on Thursday, June 8 at 10 a.m. EST until 10 p.m. EST before the general on sale on Friday, June 9 at 10 a.m. EST HERE.
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Over two decades after the murder of Run-D.M.C.’s Jam Master Jay, a third man has been charged for his role in the crime that shook up the Hip-Hop world.
On Tuesday (May 30), federal prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced charges against Jay Bryant of Queens, New York for the 2002 murder. Bryant is currently being detained on an unrelated separate indictment related to drugs. According to the court documents in the unsealed indictment, the charges include murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking.
When contacted for comment, Bryant’s lawyer César de Castro said that his client would plead not guilty to the new charges. “Securing an indictment in a secret grand jury, applying an extremely low burden of proof, is one thing,” Castro stated. “Proving it at trial is another matter.” Bryant’s arraignment for the new indictment has not been scheduled.
Ronald Washington and Karl Jordan Jr. are the two other men who’ve been charged with the death of Jam Master Jay, also known as Jason Mizell. Both had murder charges brought against them by prosecutors in August 2020, with authorities blaming the October 2002 shooting in the Hip-Hop icon’s studio on his apparent exclusion of the two from “a multi-kilogram, multistate narcotics transaction” after a dispute in July of that year. Both men are now expected to go to trial in January 2024.
Bryant was spotted entering the building after the shooting according to the indictment, and his DNA was also found at the scene of the crime. The documents go on to detail how the 49-year-old confessed to being there later on and claimed that he was the one who shot Jam Master Jay, a claim that prosecutors feel is false as they believe Jordan is the one who fired the two fatal shots.
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Run-D.M.C. earned their place as one of Hip-Hop’s greatest groups but it appears that the surviving pair is calling it quits this year. D.M.C. shared in an interview that he and Run are in the midst of recording a documentary capturing their final moments as a group, which will conclude with a concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Run-D.M.C. began as a trio with Joseph “Run” Simmons, Daryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell. After the tragic shooting death of Jam Master Jay in 2002, the group disbanded with several reunion moments dispersed throughout.
In an interview with Rock The Bells, D.M.C. explains that while he maintains a friendship with Run, it’s time to move on beyond the Run-D.M.C. moniker and perhaps move into other arenas as separate entities.
From Rock The Bells:
In a recent interview with ROCK THE BELLS, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels emphatically stated: “Run-D.M.C. is over. The only way Run-D.M.C. gets back together is if The Beatles get back together. Can that happen?”
…
“The final show that we are ever going to do is going to be at Madison Square Garden in April,” McDaniels reveals. “It’s going to be the last episode of the documentary we’re doing. Run-D.M.C.’s last show ever. ‘Cause it’s time for Run to go be Paul McCartney and me to be John Lennon. We done did what we could do.”
Later in the chat, D.M.C. emphatically states that the group can’t continue on as a group without Jam Master Jay. Run didn’t offer any additional commentary in the interview.
Details regarding the last show for Run-D.M.C. are certainly forthcoming.
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‘Tis the season, and The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration is returning to ABC this Sunday (Nov. 27). The Derek and Julianne Hough-hosted event is jam-packed with incredible performances from artists of all genres.
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In a special moment during the night, Run-DMC will perform “Christmas in Hollis” for the first time in nearly two decades, as seen in the exclusive Billboard clip below. The group is introduced by fellow performers The Black Eyed Peas, who will take the stage to deliver renditions of “A Cold Christmas” and “I Gotta Feeling.”
Becky G, Chloe Flower, Ne-Yo, David Foster with Katharine McPhee, Il Volo, Jordin Sparks, Maren Morris, Meghan Trainor and the Hough siblings will also perform at the special, filmed from Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California, delivering musical mixes of holiday classics and cheerful new hits. The annual show will also highlight heartwarming family stories and offer sneak peeks at what’s new around The Walt Disney Company.
The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration will air Sunday (Nov. 27) at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, and be available to stream in full on Hulu and Disney+ the next day.
Check out a sneak peek of Run-DMC’s performance of “Christmas in Hollis” below.
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