10-31-2002, 04:17 AM
[Teenweek]
Quote:Run-DMC rapper slain in New York[/Teenweek]
Jam Master Jay shot to death at recording studio in Queens
By Michael E. Ross
MSNBC
Oct. 30 — Jam Master Jay, one of the stars of the groundbreaking rap group Run-DMC, was shot to death Wednesday night at a recording studio in New York City. The 37-year-old rapper, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was one of two men who were shot.
NEW YORK CITY police confirmed to MSNBC that two victims were shot inside the studio at 9010 Merrick Blvd., Queens, at about 7:30 p.m. The rapper was pronounced dead at the scene. No arrests have been made at this time, and the investigation is ongoing, police said.
The other victim survived and was transported to an area hospital, according to information from NBC affiliate WNBC.
Run-DMC, formed in 1982, was one of the pioneer groups of rap music. After signing with a small label, Profile Records, for an advance of $2,500, they immediately scored an underground hit with “It’s Like That.” That song and the B-side track, “Sucker MCs,” marked the group as one to watch, single-handedly giving rise to one of rap’s most prevalent terms, and almost becoming a genre in its own right. Many critics consider the single — with its spare, stripped-down sound and the attendant “B-boy” streetwise fashion sense — as the sound that gave rise to modern hip hop.
Arista Records, Run-DMC’s label, had released a new compilation of the group’s greatest hits in September.