Jury selection began Monday in the trial over the murder of Jam Master Jay, the innovative Run-DMC DJ who was killed in his Queens studio two decades ago.
The trial is centered on the events of October 30, 2002, when the pioneering rap music star Jason “Jay” Mizell was fatally shot in the head. The artist was 37 years old and a father of three.
The infamous New York murder was in limbo as a cold case for nearly two decades, until federal prosecutors in August 2022 announced a 10-count indictment against suspects Ronald Washington, now 59, and Karl Jordan Jr, the alleged shooter who is now 40.
All three men hailed from Hollis, Queens.
Both defendants are imprisoned in Brooklyn, and face charges of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking, and firearms-related murder. Jordan, who was 18 at the time of the alleged crime, also faces several additional narcotics distribution counts.
According to court documents, the motive was linked to Mizell’s acquisition of cocaine that was intended for distribution in Maryland by a group including Washington and Jordan.
An internal dispute resulted in Mizell cutting Washington out of the deal, which according to prosecutors led to the murder plot.
The killing was particularly shocking given the reputation of Run-DMC, a 1980s-era hip hop group known for hits including “It’s Tricky” and “Christmas In Hollis.” The trio regularly railed against violent gang culture, which in the early 1990s became associated with rap music.
Over the years, investigators had explored a number of possible motives — including that the fatal shooting involved a grudge against fellow Queens-born rapper 50 Cent, who was Jam Master Jay’s protege. That theory was later dropped.
Jam Master Jay’s slaying followed a spate of murders within the rap community in the 1990s, including the shootings of superstars Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
Hip hop pioneers
Along with LL Cool J and Public Enemy, Run-DMC were trailblazers of new school hip hop — a sound characterized by rock elements, aggressive boasting and sociopolitical commentary — and its outgrowth golden era hip hop, which included eclectic sampling.
All heralding from the Hollis neighborhood of Queens, Run-DMC included its DJ — Jam Master Jay — and the MCs who dropped rhymes, Joseph “Run” Simmons and Darryl McDaniels, or “DMC.”
They also established a new, enduring rap aesthetic incorporating street culture, a departure from the flashy, disco-inflected attire of the group’s predecessors.
Their single “My Adidas” off their hit album “Raising Hell” led to a massive endorsement deal with athletic brand Adidas, kicking off today’s inextricable link between hip hop culture and sneakers.
And the “Walk This Way” remake off the same album was even more successful than the original 1970s hit, with Run-DMC and Aerosmith performing a groundbreaking rap-rock version that became a touchstone of the genre and an international hit.
Prior to his death, Mizell became particularly influential in New York as a local cultivator of talent, working with young aspiring rappers and founding a DJ Academy.
Jurors will be anonymous, and opening statements are currently scheduled for January 29.
There had been a chance that, if found guilty, the men would face the death penalty. But in 2021, the government notified the court that US Attorney General Merrick Garland had directed against that punishment in the event of conviction.
In May 2023 prosecutors filed a superseding indictment that charged a third defendant, Jay Bryant, now 50. He will be tried separately, according to a court spokesperson.
