Jam Master Jay RIP

Jam Master Jay, a founding member of hip hop trio Run DMC, was shot dead yesterday (Wednesday October 30) in a recording studio in Queens, NYC.

The 37-year-old turntablist extraordinaire and father of three was shot in the head by two gunmen who, upon entering the room, opened fire, killing Jay (real name Jason Mizell) and injuring another victim, Urieco Rincon, who was shot in the leg. Mizell died at the scene.

One of the first people to pay tribute to the slain rapper was Funkmaster Flex. "Such a good person," he said, speaking on his Hot 97 Radio show in NYC on Wednesday night. "Sometimes when we talk about people passing away, sometimes you forget to say you miss a good person... For us who knew Jay and other artists who knew Jay, [he] may be one of the few people who embraced things that are new, from artists to DJs. He's one of the people from the early '80s who has a relationship with a lot of artists [from the old school and new school]."

While the remaining DMC members have yet to speak individually, their publicist Tracy Miller reflected, "He was a great producer, a hard worker. He was a family man."

Friends and fans, many from Run DMC's native Hollis area of Queens, gathered outside the studio to give each other support.

Meanwhile, Public Enemy's Chuck D blamed the music industry for perpetuating "a climate of violence" in the hip hop scene. "When it comes to us, we're disposable commodities," he added.