Jason Mizell

Who was Jason Mizell?

Jason William Mizell, better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and rapper. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run–D.M.C. During the 1980s, Run-D.M.C. became the biggest hip-hop group and are credited with breaking hip-hop into mainstream music.

For his skill re-working riffs from classic guitar records, he was ranked No. 10 on Spin's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. On October 30, 2002, while recording new music at his studio in Jamaica, Queens, New York, Mizell was shot and murdered by an unknown assailant. He was 37 years old.