10 Things To Know About The Jam Master Jay Murder Conspiracy

After almost 20 years, two men were arrested this week and charged in the unsolved murder of Jam Master Jay, the hip-hop pioneer who helped make the group Run-DMC “the Beatles of hip-hop” — one of the greatest hip-hop groups of all time.

Here are 10 things to know about the Jam Master Jay murder conspiracy.

People on the street said Jay died over a drug dispute

Many in the neighborhood said Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell was murdered over a drug deal gone bad. It was common knowledge that Jay was mixed up in narcotics trafficking, said Curtis Scoon, a former friend whom few thought was a possible suspect. “He owed a lot of people money. He was so broke he was pawning his jewelry to drug dealers. Everybody loved Jay except the people he did business with,” Scoon told British journalist Frank Owen, who wrote a 2003 Playboy article.

This week’s federal complaint alleges that in addition to his music career, Jay was involved in transporting kilogram-quantities of cocaine for retail sale in New York City and elsewhere between 1996 and 2002.

“(In) July 2002, Mizell acquired approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine on consignment from a supplier in the Midwest,” the complaint says. “The cocaine was intended to be distributed in Maryland by Washington, Jordan and other co-conspirators.

“A dispute between Washington and one of the co-conspirators resulted in Mizell telling Washington that he would be cut out of the Maryland transaction.

“Following Washington’s dispute with Mizell, Washington and Jordan conspired to murder Mizell.”

Washington and Jordan were both armed when they entered the studio on Oct. 30, 2002, federal authorities said.

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The feds said Jay died over a drug dispute

Karl “Little D” Jordan Jr. and Ronald “Tinard” Washington of Hollis, Queens — both known to Jay — went to Jay’s studio on Oct. 30, 2002 purposely to kill him in a dispute over drugs, according to acting U.S. Attorney Seth DuCharme of the Eastern District of New York.

They were charged with murder while engaged in drug trafficking in a 10-count indictment unsealed on Monday in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn.

Why did it take so long to solve the murder, if it is solved?

Why it took so long to solve the murder of Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell has been the topic of speculation, cover-ups and conspiracy theories. There were four witnesses in the studio with Jay when he was shot execution-style at point-blank range. None of them are known to have helped bring Jay’s killer to justice. Were they scared to talk? Were they in on it? Were they warned that if they snitch, they die?

Jay was broke when he died

The hip-hop world went into mourning when Jay died. His funeral was statesman-like. A glass-covered carriage pulled by four white horses carried his body to the Greater Allen Cathedral in Queens, which was packed with fans, family and friends including LL Cool J, A Tribe Called Quest, 50 Cent and Ja Rule.

The 37-year-old father of three was known and loved for his generosity. He helped friends and family but he was also broke and dealing in cocaine. Jay owed the IRS close to $500,000, according to Tracey Miller, Run-DMC’s longtime publicist. There’s a view that the murder investigation was hampered because people didn’t want to talk about those aspects of Jay’s life.

Jay carried a gun and wore a bulletproof vest. None of these helped him in the end.

“Everybody wants to whitewash Jay’s life,” said Curtis Scoon, who was once close to Jay and was at one-time a suspect in his death. “But Jay, like all men, had his flaws,” Scoon said during a Playboy interview published in December 2003.

“He was no saint. What man is? But he can still be people’s hero without being perfect,” Scoon said. “This isn’t about tarnishing Jay’s legacy. The attempt to cover up his business dealings and protect his image is why it’s taking so long to catch his killer.”

That was 17 years ago. No one could have predicted how much longer it would take to get justice for Jay.

Jay was known for his extravagance and generosity

Run-DMC made Jay rich beyond his wildest dreams. It was the first hip-hop group to be featured regularly on MTV, the only one to play Live Aid and the group’s debut was the first hip-hop album to go gold. They played London, Tokyo, Sydney and Paris, earning as much as $150,000 a show. They scored a $1.5 million endorsement in 1986 with Adidas.

But by the time of his 2002 death, Jay hadn’t had a hit record in 10 years. By then, he’d developed a habit for extravagance. “He wore mink when the rest of Run-DMC wore leather,” Playboy reported. “He had the most jewelry. He had the flashiest cars. Jay didn’t drive one automobile but several … He also purchased showy rides for his sister, brother, mother, wife and at least two close friends. As his fame grew, so did his entourage.”

Chuck D of Public Enemy described Jay’s generosity. He paid rents. He gave gifts. He taught chess to young kids in the park. He was a local hero — a kid from the rough neighborhood of Hollis who raised himself up and tried to bring others with him. “Jay was always trying to get his friends who strayed back on the right path,” his friend Hurricane told Playboy.

Run-DMC manager Russell Simmons was criticized for Jay’s money issues

Russell Simmons managed Run-DMC and supposedly made millions. Why didn’t he instruct Jay to manage his finances and pay his taxes? “To say I made millions from Run-DMC is an absolute lie,” Simmons told Playboy. “Everybody got jerked. That’s how it was for rappers in those days … I did the best I could to advise him and to find opportunities for Jay. I’m not a business manager. I introduced him to financial managers, but I couldn’t force him to pay his taxes. He was a grown man.”

Who else was in the studio when it happened

Within a few feet of Jay when he was shot were Randy Allen, his sister Lydia High, Uriel “Tony” Rincon, who was playing a video game next to Jay and aspiring hip-hop artist Michael “Mike B” Bonds.

Despite their proximity, none ever identified the killer, the New York Daily News reported in October 2019.

Randy Allen was Jam’s longtime business partner and friend. Some people close to Jam said they were in a dispute over money. He was best man at Jam’s wedding. Allen is said to have used his friendship with Jay for financial gain including landing his sister a job as Jay’s office manager.

Lydia High was Jay’s office manager and everyone knew she buzzed people into the studio. She was the studio bookkeeper and secretary.

Rincon was a homeless friend of Jay’s who slept in the studio, Playboy reported.

Allen and Jay were working on a project — a duo called Rusty Waters — consisting of Allen and Jay’s nephew, Rodney “Boe Skagz” Jones. Their debut album was due at Virgin Records within days. Randy sent Boe to the barbershop to get a haircut for an upcoming promotional tour before the killers entered the studio.

After the shooting, High told the police that the shooter had a tattoo on his neck. Little D has a tattoo on his neck. Washington has always said that the killer was Little D. From 2002, people were saying Washington was in on the murder.

“The streets is watching, but nobody’s talking,” MTV.com reported in an article about the stalled investigation.

“It’s bullshit to say that the street don’t talk,” Scoon told Playboy. “The street always talks.” Just not necessarily to law enforcement officials.

Suspects emerged based on eyewitness accounts

NYPD Homicide Detective Derrick Parker was retired at the time of Jay’s death, but he was called back in to help with the investigation,Crime Watch Daily reported. “I spent a lot of time talking to Lydia,” Parker said. “Lydia had to know who they were before she buzzed them in. It had to be somebody she knew.”

Names of possible suspects at the time included Karl “Little D” Jordan Jr., Darren “Big D” Jordan. Big D was an executive at Def Jam Records. Little D, now accused of the murder at age 37, was a hip-hop artist and would have been about 18 or younger at the time.

“They were friends with Jay, they knew him from the neighborhood,” said Parker.

Police questioned Little D, but he was released and not charged until this week. Both father and son deny any involvement in Jay’s killing. Big D called for justice for Jay in the documentary “2 Turntables and a Microphone: The Life and Death of Jam Master Jay.”

Jay’s business partner, Randy Allen, was also a person of interest.

“We know Randy ran out, saw what happened, I think he had drawn a weapon that he might have had, and he might have fired some shots at the guys when they were running as they left,” Parker said.

Investigators discovered an insurance policy that showed Allen would have a lot to gain financially if Jay died. Bonita, Jay’s sister, told Playboy in 2003 that Randy and Jay had taken out an insurance policy on each other and were listed as beneficiaries if either came to harm in the studio. After the killing, she said Randy drained all the money from a joint bank account.

“This theory with Randy about the insurance money was explored by police and myself, and I don’t really think that held a lot of weight,” Parker told Crime Watch Daily.

Allen was never charged and denied any involvement in the killing.

Ronald ‘Tinard’ Washington

Washington, 56, was serving a 17-year federal prison sentence for six robberies when the feds filed charges against him in Jay’s death. Jordan, 37, was taken into custody on Sunday. Both face a minimum of 20 years if convicted.

Washington’s name was in the mix from day one, Parker told Crime Watch Daily. Cops pegged him as a possible lookout. Why hasn’t he been arrested and charged for almost 20 years?

The afternoon of the murder, Washington said that Jay called and asked him to come to the studio. “One of the first things he said when I got there was, ‘Do you have a gun?’ I didn’t. So Jay showed me his gun — it was a .45 –and he gave me $200 to get some bullets on the street. He was going to meet (a drug supplier) in Connecticut the next day. He said the guy wanted to get paid, but he didn’t have the money. He asked me to come along for protection.”

After buying the bullets, Washington claimed he was on his way back to the studio when he saw two people climbing the stairs about 20 steps in front of him. He identified them as Karl “Little D” Jordan Jr. and Little D’s father,
Darren “Big D” Jordan. At more than 300 pounds, Big D was easy to spot, Washington said.

The two men were dressed in dark clothes and passed a video camera but were undetected, Playboy reported. At the top of the stairs the smaller man stopped. The other man, about six-foot-two and 180 pounds, burst through the door of the studio and all hell broke loose.

“Look at the ground!” he shouted and pushed Lydia aside.

Washington said he ducked and went out back. He said he heard three gunshots then saw Little D rush down the fire escape. “I’m positive it was Little D. I looked him right in his face before he ran off,” Washington said.

Not long after Jay’s death, the D.A.’s office charged Washington with a series of other crimes. Six years after the murder of Jam Master Jay, Washington was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

“This case has been very difficult because the police department, like anything else, they want to have a sure-win case, especially the D.A.’s office, and they want to put all the evidence together that they have because this involves a music icon,” former Detective Parker told Crime Watch Daily. “This is not just a normal person. It’s somebody who’s really famous, who’s big and they don’t want to go to trial and lose this case.”

Tony Rincon

Tony Rincon was sitting next to Jay when Jay was shot and also took a bullet in the leg, but always said that he doesn’t remember, former Detective Parker said in 2016. “However, I don’t think Tony is telling the entire truth, I think he does know, but he might be fearful as well. He might be scared that he doesn’t want to say who it is.”

In an interview a few years after Jay’s murder, Rincon described the events of that night, recalling details but not the identity of the shooter. “I just hear fast footsteps and then I hear Jay say ‘Oh s—,’ I heard the shot, and that’s when I got hit in my leg,” Rincon said in that interview.

Jay saw it coming

Before he was shot, Jay was getting anonymous phone calls saying “I’m gonna get you,” or “I’m gonna shoot you,” Parker said. “I think he knew who the person was at the other end of that line or who these people were.”

Multiple surveillance cameras around the studio weren’t working when Jay was shot.

“So what the cops told me is somebody took all the cameras and turned them offline, moved them so the monitors wouldn’t show nobody coming up in here,” said Marvin Thompson, Jay’s brother, according to the 2016 Crime Wach Daily interview. Thompson died in 2018.

“This ‘no snitch rule,’ where people in the street say ‘snitches get stitches’ — you can’t talk to the police, you can’t talk to authorities,” said retired NYPD Detective Parker.

In 2009, the corner of 205th Street and Hollis Avenue in Hollis was renamed Run-DMC JMJ Way. A mural in his memory has attracted visitors. Sixteen years after Jay’s murder, the Hollis community unveiled a new Jam Master Jay mural by Eduardo Kobra. To this day people still come by lay hands on it and light candles. Every year on the anniversary of his murder there’s a vigil.