NEW YORK - Before Jam Master Jay came onto the scene, hip-hop was dismissed as a passing fad, an urban novelty that would quickly burn itself out.
After Jam Master Jay and his pioneering pals Run-DMC unleashed groundbreaking songs like "Rock Box" and "Walk This Way," hip-hop suddenly busted through the entrance to the mainstream and headed straight to the suburbs, launching an unstoppable musical force.
As one of rap's highest-profile DJs, Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell, brought together rock and hip-hop to create a new soundscape for his rappers Joe "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels. The new sound paved the way for groups like the Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and even the updated version currently dominated by Linkin Park and Korn called rap-metal.
"Run-DMC is our Beatles," said Public Enemy rapper Chuck D, after learning that Jam Master Jay had been shot to death Wednesday night. "This is like John Lennon getting shot."
Though Run-DMC never reached Beatlesque sales levels, they faced challenges the Fab Four didn't. The Queens trio's popularity forced MTV to change its policies and air its video for "Walk This Way," which is now the second-most-played video of all time at the channel. Run-DMC represented hip-hop at the Live Aid concerts and launched one of the first national rap tours. It also managed two gold, two platinum albums, as well as the three-times platinum breakthrough album Raising Hell.
"Run-DMC and Jam Master Jay's gift to the world was a new kind of music for a whole new generation," said Aerosmith, their collaborators in the hit single "Walk This Way," in a statement. "Jay was scratching before anyone had the itch and still at the top of his game when we played with him this summer."
Like Lennon, Jam Master Jay was dedicated to peace, speaking out against the gang warfare in California in the '80s and urging fans to refrain from violence. Even when Run-DMC's sales began to lag, as the flashier, more aggressive gangsta rap began to take hold, the trio stuck to its beliefs, which many attribute to the DJ.
"Jay was like the glue of Run-DMC," said Nelson George, author of Hip Hop America. "Run was flighty and explosive. Darryl had his share of problems. But Jay was always the stable one."
His stability and his strong religious beliefs made the murder of the 37-year-old DJ even more shocking to the hip-hop community. In an industry where beefs and bruised feelings come with the territory, music insiders this week racked their brains for anyone who had any complaints about Jam Master Jay and came up empty.
"They talked about God and their higher selves, the importance of staying away from drugs and generally inspirational and uplifting subject matter," Russell Simmons, Run's brother and chairman of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, said in a statement. "They represented everything good and positive about hip-hop."
It's fitting that Jay's work continues to encourage smiles, since he was well known for his. While many rappers take great pains to avoid showing any breaks in the facade, Jay's smile always came easily.
"Jason engaged everyone and made people feel important," Lyor Cohen, chairman and CEO of the Island Def Jam Music Group, said in a statement. "His eyes always made contact with you, and a smile was never far behind. Jason had the best smile because it was so real and heartfelt. Jason's smile is what I deeply miss. It was a conversation, containing so many words in its simple silence."
Cohen, who served as Run-DMC's tour manager in its heyday, said that he wanted Jay to be remembered properly. "The truth is that Jason was a beautiful person, a loyal husband, an amazing father, and a gracious friend," Cohen said.
"Jay's tragic death has left all of us numb," his widow, Terri, said in a statement. "Jason's love, memory and music will continue to live on through all of us."
McDaniels said he was proud of his friend's considerable musical success, but that he missed him personally. "He was family to me," McDaniels said. "We grew up together. We ate together. We slept together. We laughed together. We lived two-thirds of our lives together ... I always thought we would be together forever. I will truly miss him."
Glenn Gamboa writes for Newsday, a Tribune Publishing newspaper.