Run DMC member Jam Master Jay, real name Jason Mizell was shot dead last night in a recording studio in Queens, New York. He was shot in the head. Another man who was with Mizell at the time was shot in the ankle. The killer got away.

If you like Run DMC's music or not, they were the band who broght the Hip Hop music genre to the spotlight.

Another Rap star is shot dead. Me being the skeptic that I am, im thinking its now Westside 2, Eastside 1....

Dan

It's hard to think that the whole East/West thing is still going on. For some reason I had thought it had died out after B.I.G

I think the Westside vs Eastside conflict will go on for years..

As the old Tupac song goes.. Thats Just The Way It Its.........


Dan

Run DMC were a bit before my time but despite not being a major fan I have a hell of a lot of respect for them for the reason already mentioned by Dan.

Dunno whether I'm right or not but I always associated the West vs East rivalry solely with Death Row Records and Puffy's Bad Boy label. Now that both have become less prominent I had come to believe that it was over. So I agree with ogryn on this one but I'm by no means sure of myself.

This is so very sad as Run DMC aren't exactly gangsta rappers and they have a wealth of talent that many rapper groups now and in the 90s sadly don't have. Who next, LL Cool J?

To be honest I wasn't in the least bit sad when I heard about the deaths of Biggie or Tupac as they were over-hyped and fairly mediocre IMO and many people (especially in this country) hadn't even heard of them until all thos bloody tribute collaborations!

Mediocre? I understand that's what you think which is fair enough but what a very strange opinion to have! I only really got into liking Biggie's music around the time of his death so I was gutted and I honestly believe that there hasn't been anyone to better those two ever since their deaths five/six years ago.

Being of the right era to have grown up with RunDMC's music I was saddened to hear of Jam Master Jay's death. Their form of hip-hop/rap I find infinitely preferable to the west-coast Gangsta Rap.

One thing it did clear up for me was the lyrics to It's Like That by RunDMC v Jason Nevins.

I always thought that Jason Nevins sang the line "Run DMC, they've had their day" but it is on closer listening "Run, DMC, Jam Master Jay"

You reckon? I know loads of people that I grew up with that think exactly the same thing. When I meet people in clubs and bars and discussion turns to Hip Hop/Rap there's unusally the same concensous (and I don't tend to hang around just with people that have the same view of life as me, before you say anything!).


Which ironically kinda proves what I've been getting at about the whole Rap scene! It doesn't say much that there "hasn't been anyone to better them" since their deaths. I can certainly think of better groups and artists before them, which include Run DMC, Public Enemy, EPMD, Stetsasonic and Big Daddy Kane. But I'm all old skool!

OK I think I've figured out that we are of very different ages and therefore have very different opinions about hip-hop!! In my experience Biggie etc are the brand of hip-hop I grew up with and prefer (but that's not to say that there aren't people of my age who appreciate old skool stuff). And in a similar way to you, hardly anyone I know who likes hip-hop considers Biggie and Tupac anything less than the greatest rappers of all time.

So basically it's just the generation gap showing and although I know very little about old skool hip-hop I fully respect your knowledge and opinion of hip-hop music.