Jam Master Jay, part of the pioneering rap trio Run DMC, was shot and killed Wednesday, the group's publicist said.

Publicist Tracy Miller confirmed the death of the 37-year-old rapper, whose real name was Jason Mizell.

A legal source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the rapper was shot in the head at a recording studio in the New York City borough of Queens. A second person was shot in the ankle and the shooter was at large, the source said.

Run DMC is widely credited with helping bring hip-hop into music's mainstream, including the group's smash collaboration with Aerosmith on the 1980s standard "Walk This Way."

"We always knew rap was for everyone," Mizell said in a 2001 interview with MTV. "Anyone could rap over all kinds of music."

"It wasn't the soulful R&B of the '70s and '80s," he said of the group's early work. "So we didn't want to be like the soft R&B. We wanted to go hardcore, so we put the rock-and-roll on our rap."

Sad to see this type of shit happen. May he rest in peace!

RIP

I was never a big fan but I do recognize Run DMC's importance in the rap revolution. Sucks that this happened. RIP

Yes, DMC was the seminal group for rap, especially to us who never heard of it until DMC was EVERYWHERE. Damn shame this happened, and I wonder what the causes were behind it. Rest in Peace.

Part of me wants to think, "Oh great, another rapper shot over some crack" or something. But DMC wasn't what rap is today, they were rap. So I don't think it had anything to do with drugs, and I'd hate to think it did. RIP

Not just drugs, but something petty like money or something. My point being the guys of DMC aren't bad guys. Because there are black people and then there's niggaz. And the person who shot him was probably a nigga, unless it was some out of work crazy white guy.

damn, today sucks doggie balls, heard of JMJ's death last night and now I heard from elsewhere (some site) that barry white also passed... today is fucked up seriously

ehh, hope that barry white thing is just a stupid rumor... can't find a link anywhere (crap @inability to reedit these posts)

Barry White needs a kidney transplant, and is at home while waiting. Do a google search for Barry White in news....thats as of 4 hours ago.

I think Jam Master Jay had sowed all his wild oats. He was married for 20 years and had three children, one already 15 years old. I think he was entering his "Don Was" part of his career. He was tghe number one propponent of pushing rap and more specifically turntables as a true valid musical form. I can't vouch for his character, but it seems like he wasn't a gangsta.
The police here (I live in NYC) are closely investing the two female singers that were recording for Jay when this all went down.

Influencial group, wicked collabo with Aerosmith. There are too many unnecessary deaths these days

Very disheartening news, and the way he died makes me sick. *sigh* ...I'd like to echo chillin's words. In fact, I think that whole album was great.

Ehh, to drop some more words on this sad subject it's very dishearting to hear of this subject and one death too many. I mean I could run down a short list of rappers other then big & pac who left violently. And the messed up to hear that the symbol of all that's positive and good in hip-hop left this way. The man gotten respect from everybody whether they were local thugs, gangbangers, etc. I find myself at times defending Hip-Hop telling people and giving them examples of how it isn't all about violence and other negative things and now someone who was part of a symbolic & widely respected group that represented that paved the way for many the good is now gone thanks to a few slugs coming from a dumbass motive.

"When my brothas die from anything else but old age my heart builds up with what?? RAGE!!!" - J-Live

one the most innovating heads in hip hop...another legend gone...damn....this shit has to stop...

Do you think it's an inevitability that we lose rap/hip-hop genre stars to violence like this, due tot he prevalence of guns/violence/the 'gangsta' mentality in the genre itself?

If it's an essential part of the genre, how do we keep it from continuing?

Based on many acts that I listen to both on this site and in my collection violent lyrics isn't essential to the genre, except perhaps on the mainstream level (even though there are alot of underground artists who do this themselves). There is a big.. BIG difference between talking about violence & drugs through ones own experience, through a story telling song(fictional or fact), and portraying & promoting violence by posing oneself as a dangerous thug who can get people knocked and how many ways you can "kill a nigga wit a pull of da trigga". Unfortunately the later is what's polluting the airwaves & perception of hip-hop. After the deaths of pac, big, big L, freaky tah, the attempted murders of 50 Cent & if I heard correctly Guru and now this you would think that people would get the message and despite a few efforts to get fans and critics alike to alter the perception of hip-hop by both artists & supporters this ish still goes on. It greatly pisses me off that brothas are still gettin got like this especially the ones who paid their dues.

A hip-hop artist got gunned down in the prime of life? Who would've thought?

Run Dum DMC was not GANGSTA!!!!!!!! they were pure RAP. what RAP was supposed to be about before Death Row Records came along. I wouldn't call em hip/hop either.

R.I.P.

It wasn't the soulful R&B of the '70s and '80s," he said of the group's early work. "So we didn't want to be like the soft R&B. We wanted to go hardcore, so we put the rock-and-roll on our rap."

In their own words. dont'ya read before you post??

Early jazz had the same problems, drugs, violence, moral controversy.
So did early rock and roll for that matter.
But when the artists started to become clean, the music lost its spark.