Thousands of fans lined up before the watchful eyes of police last night (Nov. 4) to pay their last respects to hip-hop legend Jam Master Jay (real name: Jason Mizell). The line stretched for three long blocks outside the Queens, N.Y., funeral home where the slain Run-D.M.C. DJ lay in his signature black leather, gold jewelry, and white Adidas sneakers. Mizell will be buried today after a funeral service.
“I grew up listening to them,” Brooklyn social worker Sharon Kline said. “I felt like it was important to pay respects.”
Detectives investigating Mizell’s unsolved, execution-style shooting last Wednesday scanned a crowd of tearful friends and family and onlookers who were hoping to spot celebrities. Traffic stalled for blocks along Linden Boulevard in Queens, where members of the group grew up. Low-slung, chrome-fitted sport-utility vehicles crawled by, honking their horns in short bursts and blasting Run-D.M.C. songs.
Spectators toting video cameras and homemade signs screamed as rap titans such as Busta Rhymes, Doug E. Fresh, and Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons left the funeral home.
As reported yesterday, a coalition has been formed to raise money for the Mizell family, to pay for education for his three children, and to help bring the investigation of the artist’s murder to a close.
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