num_pages: 208
description: HE TOOK THE SOUND OF THE STREETS TO THE TOP OF THE CHARTS....JAM MASTER JAYBefore anyone heard of New Jack, Gangsta, East or West Coast, Jam Master Jay had already gained worldwide acclaim in the early days of rap. As one third of Run DMC, Jay worked the turntables into a funky, catchy sound that combined hard-rock riffs with slamming street rhythms, and ushered in a new era of popular music. Respected both as an artist and as a devoted family man, Jam Master Jay lived the American dream -- until one fateful night in October 2002, when a murderer's bullet stopped the music forever.Here is the true story of an urban cultural icon whose popularity crossed racial lines and introduced the world to a new sound that would soon grow into a creative movement unmatched in the history of American music. Featuring interviews with Jay's surviving Run DMC bandmates and friends at Def Jam Records and those who knew him when he was simply Jason Mizell from the neighborhood -- while also exploring the tragic act of violence that took his life -- this is a compelling chronicle of one man's journey from the hard knocks of life to the heights of fame and fortune, and the musical legacy he leaves behind.
language: English
title: Jam Master Jay: The Heart of Hip-Hop
publisher: MTV