A few weeks back, you might remember we were invited to film inside Jam Master Jay's former studios in Jamaica, Queens, in New York. It was the first time cameras had ever been allowed into the Run-DMC DJ's onetime headquarters — the place where ultimately, Jam Master Jay was tragically shot dead on a cold and rainy night on October 30th, 2002.
When I agreed to do the shoot back in November, I did so with a vision to celebrate the life and legacy of JMJ, but also to bring this as-of-yet unsolved murder case back to the fore and to everyone's attention. At the time, I never knew how much of an impact this small three-minute piece, simply titled 'Jam Master Jay's Studio: An Exclusive Tour,' would have on not only the hip-hop community but on JMJ's family and friends as well.
On the five-year anniversary of the death of Jam Master Jay, the still unsolved murder case was in danger of becoming a cold case (much like the murder cases of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G) with authorities blaming a lack of co-operation from the Queens community, but more importantly the actual witnesses who were present in the studio when JMJ was shot.
Well, one day after the JMJ Studio Tour piece aired on MTV all around the world, we received a phone call from one of the key witnesses in the case — JMJ's childhood best friend and business partner, Randy Allen. Randy Allen was there in the studio the night that his best friend was shot, as was his sister Lydia Hall who worked as Jay's assistant, the studio engineer Mike B, an unnamed female singer and Jay's friend Tony Rincon who was playing computer games with Jay when he too was shot, in the leg.
Along with the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, the fatal shooting of JMJ completed the trinity of high-profile hip-hop murder cases that to this day remain unsolved. And much like the cases of Tupac and Biggie, a number of conspiracy theories have arisen over the years. Among the many rumours including the alleged involvement of convicted drug lord Kenneth 'Supreme' McGriff, some speculated that Jay was killed over money or perhaps even drugs, whilst others were quick to point the finger of blame at Randy Allen himself, suggesting that he was the puppet-master behind the murder with a plan to gain off insurance money.
Five years later, and with no closure to the case, these rumours continue to live on and as a result Randy Allen has found his life turned upside-down. From traveling the world with JMJ to rubbing shoulders with the biggest names in the business, a great deal has changed in Randy's life since the death of his best friend. In Randy Allen's mind, the industry blacklisted him years ago and to this day everywhere he goes, it doesn't take long for the whispers to start and on occasion, for his life to be threatened.
In fact, the first time Randy had ever gone out to a public event in almost five years was just last week at the JAM Awards here in NY where the reception was cold to say the least…
Over the past few weeks, the team and myself have been delving deep into the JMJ murder case, speaking to key witnesses and those closest to Jay. Look out for those in-depth interviews coming soon. Now, I'm not promising that we're going to go and solve the case — after all, that's the job of the police — but what we will make sure of is that the murder of Jam Master Jay is not forgotten and that it will not become yet another high-profile hip-hop murder case gone cold.
Keep it here and at mtvnews.com for full coverage of the ongoing JMJ murder case five years on and post your comments below.
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