Jam Master Jay

Jam Master Jay
Jam Master Jay in 1987
Background information
Also known as	DJ Jazzy Jase Jam Master Funk
Born	Jason William Mizell (1965-01-21)January 21, 1965 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 30, 2002(2002-10-30) (aged 37) New York City, U.S.
Cause of death	Murder (gunshot)
Genres	Hip-hop golden age hip-hop rap rock
Occupations	Disc jockey record producer musician
Instruments	Vocals turntables
Years active	1983–2002
Labels	JMJ Profile
Formerly of	Run-DMC
Website	jasonmizell.com

Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician, record producer and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC became one of the biggest hip hop groups, credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music. Mizell was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Run-DMC in 2009.

Mizell was murdered in his Queens recording studio in 2002 and his case was left unsolved until February 2024, when Ronald Washington and his godson Karl Jordan Jr., were convicted for the 2002 drug-related murder, with a third man, Jay Bryant, pleading guilty in 2026 to participating in the murder.