By Nadeska Alexis with reporting by Rahman Dukes
Sunday (October 30) marks 9 years since the tragic death of Run DMC’s turntable wizard Jason Mizell, better known to his adoring fans as Jam Master Jay. The New York City native was lost after a still-unsolved shooting incident took place inside his Queens recording studio in 2002 but his memory is far from forgotten. “Jason made the deejay rock n roll!” DMC tells RapFix, on the anniversary of Jay’s death. “And he died where he grew up, trying to take his people to a better place.” Jam Master Jay’s best friend Shake and his nephew Boe Skagz also chimed in to share their memories of the legendary DJ.
“One of the many great times I had with Jay was the last show on the Kid Rock and Aerosmith tour,” Shake tells RapFix. “Run was sick & couldn’t make it so Jay told me to rap Run’s parts. That was a definite highlight, to share the stage with Jay and DMC!”
“Jay will live on through his music and people like Jesse Itzler, Erik Blamoville, Rob Principal, the Scratch DJ Academy and so many others! It's been 9 years today and it seems like just yesterday my dude was taken away. It seems like I should have a ton of pictures but when you see your friend everyday you never think about taking pictures, because you never think about not seeing him. 4ever in my heart, Jason Mizell—Love You.”
(Shake and Jam Master Jay)
Jay’s nephew Boe Skagz (real name, Rodney Jones) added one final thought, sharing something that his uncle often told him. “One thing Jay always told me was, ‘Don’t try to be the best, just be the best. Work hard and stay humble, the blessings will follow.”
R.I.P. Jam Master Jay.