#52 Jam Master Jay - The man behind Run-DMC

Hip hop lost a true legend yesterday. Jason Mizell, known to fans as Jam Master Jay, was shot to death in a Jamacia, Queens, recording studio. Jay, best known as the DJ for Run-DMC, earned a place is music history by helping bring the signature cutting and scratching of hip-hop to the mainstream. Like most of New York's hip-hop founders, Jam Master Jay cut his teeth rocking neighborhood house parties.

The transition from local celibrity to international superstar was a quick one for Jay and his bandmates. Run-DMC's third album, Raising Hell, was a triple Platinum-selling smash hit which featured the then scandalous pairing of the rappers with the rock group Aerosmith.

Jam Master Jay will be remembered for introducing new, exciting sounds to our ears, such as the hand-crafted chime loops of Peter Piper and the scratch-delivered stabs and vocal samples of Mary Mary.

Soon after the shooting a crowd gathered outside the studio to pay tribute to the hip-hop pioneer. Already, dedications to the DJ are sprouting up all over the web.

Jam Master Jay was 37.