T.R. Thomas - Cold Cases

Kenneth McGriff is a former Queens drug lord. He may have been involved in Jam-Master Jays death. McGriff is now in prison for other crimes. Hes doing life at ADX Florence. Its a super-maximum-security prison in Colorado. It is also home to the Shoe Bomber and other terrorists.

When Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls died, that was bad. But it was not completely unexpected. Their motto seemed to be Live by the sword, die by the sword.

But Jam-Master Jay was different. He was no thug. He was a 37-year-old married man. He had three kids. He came from a middle-class background. His music reflected what was going on in the streets. But it wasnt what youd call hardcore.

It was a huge shock when he was gunned down like a thug. Hip-hop fans mourned the loss.

Jason Mizell was born in 1965 in Brooklyn, New York. His family moved to Hollis, in Queens, when he was 10.

As a young man, he started DJing at Two-Fifths Park in Hollis. Jason was called Jazzy Jase back then. Jase was the most popular DJ at the park. He was known for his flashy clothes. He also was one of the first to scratch vinyl on a turntable.

Jase had some trouble with the law as a teen. But he decided thug life wasnt for him. He liked music much better.

In 1980 he hooked up with Joseph DJ Run Simmons and Darryl DMC McDaniels. They first met at Two-Fifths Park. The three talented young men clicked right away. They decided to form a group. Thats how Run-DMC came to be.

Run-DMC was a smash right from the start. The groups sound was revolutionary. No one had heard it before. It had a hard beat. There was a rock flavor to it. Their first single, Its Like That/Sucker MCs, started a rap revolution. They released it in 1983.

Before that, rap was heavily influenced by funk and disco. But Run-DMCs sound was different.

Their self-titled first album, Run-DMC, was the first rap album ever to go gold. That was in 1983. Their 1985 album King of Rock was the first ever platinum rap record.

Run-DMC got together with the rock band Aerosmith in 1986. They did a rap version of the Aerosmiths song Walk This Way. The classic video featured both groups.

The songs success made Run-DMCs album Raising Hell their most successful ever. It was also one of the top-selling hip-hop albums of all time. It blurred the lines between rap and rock.

On April 4, 2009, Run-DMC was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Throughout the 1990s, Run-DMC performed less and less. Hip-hop was changing. The group was becoming outdated.

On his own, Jam-Master Jay had become a successful record producer. He founded his own label, JMJ Records. And he discovered several acts that did well. One was OnyX. They had a major success with their 1993 hit single Slam.

In 2001 Run-DMC started off on a reunion tour with Aerosmith. But it just wasnt the same. The members had gone in different directions. They didnt even finish the tour.

The three remained friends in spite of their differences. Run and DMC couldnt believe it when Jay was shot in 2002. No one could.

Jam-Master Jay was shot in cold blood on October 30, 2002. He was in his recording studio when it happened.

A female witness said she was near the studio entrance when the gunmen entered. The shooter had a tattoo on the back of his neck. He wore a black sweat suit. She said he walked over to Jay, and the two high-fived. They obviously knew each other. Then the tattooed man opened fire.

The first shot missed Jay. It hit Tony Rincon, who was nearby. The shot hit Rincons ankle. He survived. The gunman then shot Jay in the head. This time he didnt miss.

The crime has never been solved.

In April 2007, however, police named a suspect. Police said Ronald Tenad Washington was an accomplice. Thats someone who helps with a crime. The witness said Washington was the one who held a gun to her head. But he was not the one who killed Jam-Master Jay. The tattooed man did that, she said. But she never got a good look at his face.

As of mid-2009, Jam-Master Jays murder remains unsolved. Part of the problem is uncooperative witnesses. People may be afraid to talk.

There is some speculation that Kenneth Supreme McGriff may have been involved. Hes a convicted drug lord with mob ties. McGriff is in prison for life for other crimes.

McGriff blacklisted hip-hop artist 50 Cent. It was because of his song Ghetto Quran. Quran is another spelling of Koran. Thats the Islamic holy book.

The song talked about drug dealers from the 1980s. Some people think 50 Cent was a snitch. They think he shouldnt have named names in the song. In 2000, someone shot 50 Cent nine times. He survived. People wonder if McGriffs crew was behind that attempt on his life.

50 Cent has done very well as an artist. Hes had several very successful albums.

Jam-Master Jay gave 50 Cent his start. He taught 50 Cent how to write music and make a record. So some say Jay was killed for helping 50 Cent. But thats purely speculation. No one really knows for sure, except the killer.

Hopefully one day the world will know, too.