According to CNN.com, nearly a quarter-century after rap star Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC was shot to death, man has allegedly admitted in court on Monday that he allegedly played a role in a killing that stymied investigators for decades. Jay Bryant, 52, has pleaded guilty to a federal murder charge by telling a judge that he allegedly helped other people get into a building so they could allegedly ambush the DJ, born Jason Mizell, in his recording studio.
“I knew a gun was going to be used to shoot Jason Mizell,” Bryant told a federal magistrate. “I knew that what I was doing was wrong and a crime.” Now, Bryant did not name the other people with whom he allegedly acted with but a jury in 2024 convicted two other men, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington, yet a judge subsequently cleared Jordan. Washington has also challenged his conviction. Mizell handled the turntables in Run-DMC, a pathbreaking trio he formed with friends Darryl “DMC” McDaniels and Joseph Simmons, known as DJ Run and Rev. Run.
With such 1980s hits as “It’s Tricky,” “My Adidas” and a version of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way,” they helped rap climb the ladder from an urban genre into mainstream popularity. Run-DMC was the first rap group with gold- and platinum-selling albums, a Rolling Stone cover, and a video on MTV. The trio was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Mizell also mentored other hip-hop artists, including a young 50 Cent.
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