Russell Simmons and Reverend Run
Photo: Brad Barket/ Getty Images

Russell Simmons isn't as enthusiastic as you might think about the planned biopic about his brother's group, Run-DMC. The hip-hop godfather says the film's makers should talk major dollars — or not at all.

"That movie has been a made few times already," Simmons told MTV News. "I don't know if it's that exciting to do that movie at this time. I certainly don't know if a third movie about Run-DMC should be made on a shoestring budget."

All three group members starred in 1985's "Krush Groove" — a film that covered some of their origins — as well as the 1988 shoot-'em-up tale of revenge, "Tougher Than Leather." A new film on the kings from Queens is in the works, also with the working title "Tougher Than Leather." Cheo Hodari Coker — who wrote the script for the film "Notorious" — is crafting an adaption of legendary hip-hop figure (and Run-DMC publicist) Bill Adler's "Tougher Than Leather: The Rise of Run-DMC."

"Most movies made about our culture have been made on a shoestring budget," Simmons said. "Sometimes they're very talented and creative, and they get through it, like 'Notorious.' I don't think Run-DMC's story ... it's not gonna change them if the story is told at this time. It depends on if the studio is as inspired to do it as the producer says he is."

DMC doesn't seem too thrilled about the potential film, either.

"I don't really have anything to do with it," he said about the movie recently. "I'm just happy that somebody thinks I'm important enough to do movie about."

If D had his way, a police officer would crack the Jam Master Jay homicide case, apprehend the criminals and then a movie would be made about the how the murder mystery was solved — not necessarily a big screener about the trio's rise to fame.

"If the movie gets made, I will be involved," Simmons added. "If the movie gets made, it will have the same type of budget of any mainstream Hollywood movie, which almost never happens. So it's really up to them. When they approach us the right way, we can have a discussion. Until then, it's not something we're excited about."

The Queens mogul was thrilled to hear about the group being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"Any time you get an honor like that, it's wonderful. It's great that their work is being acknowledged like that," Simmons remarked. "I'm sure for D and for Joey it's very satisfying. I'm sorry Jay couldn't be here to see it. It's a very beautiful thing that people recognize their work like that."

• Russell Simmons
• Run-D.M.C.
• Jam Master Jay

Jam Master Jay
Photo: Getty Images/Bob Berg

No closure after more than half a decade?

The murder of hip-hop icon Jam Master Jay — which took place on October 30, 2002 — is still unsolved, and as another year passes without any significant breakthroughs in the case — no new evidence, fresh leads or confessions — hope of finding the killers fades a little more. You would think that the brutal murder of one of the most beloved figures in hip-hop in a high-profile crime that shocked the nation would have produced at least a couple of suspects by now.

But, sadly, like the murders of two other rap icons — the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur — years after the crime, all we're left with is rumors, speculation and a maddening lack of closure for friends, fans and family.

"It's a shame that we're still at this juncture," said Derrick Parker, a former NYPD investigator and author of "Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD's First 'Hip-Hop Cop.' " "Homicides like this happen all the time in the streets, but this case is different because of who Jay was."

At the time of his death at age 37, Jam Master Jay (born Jason Mizell) had already achieved worldwide fame as the turntablist and founding member of Run-DMC, arguably the most influential hip-hop group of all time. Jay elevated the cut-and-scratch to an art form and helped define DJing as we know it.

With so much time since his murder, some observers fear the case may be going cold. "I see very little chance of this ever being solved," said Ethan Brown, author of "Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent and the Rise of the Hip-Hop Hustler" "Even if there is a break in the case and they make an arrest and it goes to trial, you could easily destroy the credibility of the witnesses."

Indeed, after six years, Jam Master Jay's murder has become more about the witnesses than the victim and about an investigation that has seen differences of opinion over everything from motive (was the murder drug-related or was it a personal dispute?) to methodology (did NYPD detectives fail to provide adequate protection for key witnesses?).

Many observers think witnesses might not be doing enough to help solve the crime. Compounding that problem is the view that the authorities have not been aggressive enough in pursuing persons of interest in the case, including Ronald "Tinard" Washington, a convicted armed robber currently in prison on an unrelated charge who was staying with Jay's sister and cousin in Jay's mother's home at the time of the murder and who had clashed with Jay.

Another major roadblock to solving the crime is the turmoil between Jay's family and Randy Allen, the DJ's close friend and business partner, whom some suspect knows more about the murder than he has been willing to discuss publicly.

"Imagine your best friend getting killed right in front of you," said a source close to the investigation who prefers to remain anonymous. "How do you not say anything? How do you not tell the police?" Criticism has also fallen on receptionist Lydia High, who identified Washington as one of the gunmen who entered Jay's 24/7 Studio on the night of the murder but who police failed to arrest.

Questions about trust and truthfulness among Jay's inner circle are raised in a new documentary on the DJ's life and legacy, "Two Turntables and a Microphone," directed by Guy Logan and produced by Jam Master's cousin, Stephon "Phonz" Watford. The film premiered in June at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and is executive-produced by 50 Cent.

"I wanna say thank you to 50 Cent for being a part of this documentary that's coming out with his album [Before I Self Destruct] that's about the life of Jam Master Jay," Russell Simmons told MTV News. "It reaffirms his legacy for his family. It's helpful. It's good the industry still recognizes him. His influence was profound, like [Jay discovering] 50 Cent. ... Jay's life is something I definitely celebrate."

In addition to his alleged role as an accessory in the Jay case, prosecutors have also gathered evidence of Washington's alleged involvement in the 1995 murder of Randy "Stretch" Walker, an associate of the late Tupac Shakur.

Everyone who has weighed in on the case — from investigators to journalists, fans and family members — agrees that one of the biggest hurdles has been trustworthiness and the willingness of the witnesses, including Allen, to tell the truth to police. One of the sad ironies of the case is that these witnesses were also friends of Jay's.

There was hope that Washington might provide a break in the Jam Master Jay investigation when, in 2007, he was convicted for a string of robberies unrelated to Jay's murder. This year, as Washington was awaiting sentencing in that case, federal prosecutors tried to negotiate an agreement with him to provide evidence in the murders of Jam Master Jay and Randy "Stretch" Walker in exchange for a lesser sentence on the robbery convictions.

Washington, however, refused to cooperate. "In order to make a deal with the feds, he would've implicated himself in these other murders," Parker said. "That could mean life in prison — or even worse: the death penalty." Parker speculated that federal prosecutors might have taken too hard a line during the cooperation negotiations. "I think the feds were looking for a slam-dunk case, and sometimes you just have to take the foul shot. And if Tinard's not willing to cooperate, you can be sure there's someone else out there who is."

In "Two Turntables and a Microphone," Jay's childhood friend Runny Ray, JMJ artist Onyx and onetime business partner Darren "Big D" Jordan give separate interviews that say all signs point to the individuals in the room.

And, with Washington behind bars, attention has turned once again to the three eyewitnesses who were with Jam Master Jay inside the Merrick Boulevard recording studio on the night he was murdered. High, the studio receptionist and Allen's sister, identified Washington as the accomplice but also denies seeing the face of Jay's killer. Over the past six years, Allen and High have given (to the press and to the police) different — and sometimes conflicting — accounts of what happened in the studio that night, casting further doubt on their testimony.

"Enough is enough," Allen said in response to allegations that the people in the studio are responsible for stalling the case. "If you're not involved with the intentions to solve the murder of Jam Master Jay, then it doesn't even matter to me."

The second eyewitness, Uriel "Tony" Rincon, has rarely spoken to the press about Jay's murder, but in January, he sat down with MTV News correspondent Tim Kash for his first in-depth, on-camera interview about what he saw and heard the night of October 30, 2002. Rincon described how he and Jay (both avid video game players) were sitting on a couch inside the studio playing "Madden NFL" when the gunmen entered. In that same moment, Rincon said, his cell phone rang.

"I lean over to pick up the phone, and I just hear fast footsteps," Rincon recounted. "I hear Jay say, 'Oh sh--,' and I hear the shots, and that's when I got hit in my leg. It was basically two shots — one which had hit me and the second one that had hit Jay." During the interview, Rincon revealed the two small scars in his thigh marking the entrance and exit points of the bullet.

Although Rincon was physically closest to Jay when he was shot, he said he never saw the killer's face. "He was wearing something dark-colored with some kind of hood," Rincon recalled. "But again, all I saw was the back." Rincon added that he was "almost positive" that Jay himself saw the face of his killer.

The third eyewitness is Allen, who, in several interviews with MTV News has described how he chased the perpetrators from the studio but never saw their faces. "There's people running, and I'm looking for a familiar face, a face that didn't belong, but I didn't see any faces like that," Allen told MTV News in November 2007.

The testimonies of Allen and other members of Jay's inner circle have not placated those who believe that Jay's close friends know the killer, and — in the interest of protecting that individual and, by extension, themselves — are reluctant to name names.

As another year passes with Jay's friends still at odds with one another and with investigators, the potential for a breakthrough in the case becomes less likely. "The more time goes by in a criminal case such as this, the harder it is to get a conviction," Brown said.

"It's disheartening," said the source close to the investigation. "Your friend gets murdered, and so you run and hide? I don't care if you hate the cops. It's not about the cops. It's about being a stand-up citizen."

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

• Exclusive Interview With A Jam Master Jay Witness

• Jam Master Jay
• Run-D.M.C.

Jam Master Jay's pager
Photo: MTV News

MILWAUKEE — In the days just before his murder, hip-hop icon Jam Master Jay paid a visit to his good friend, Eric "Shake" James in Shake's hometown of Milwaukee.

As on past visits, the two hit the usual spots: Kopp's burger joint (Jay loved the grilled chicken), Playmakers (where Jay got his sneaker shop on), and the downtown nightclub formerly known as the Velvet Room (where Jay treated unsuspecting fans to impromptu turntable sets).

It was at the Velvet Room — where Jay and Shake partied together for the last time — that Jay lost what could, after all these years, turn out to be a crucial piece of evidence in the investigation into his own murder.

Inadvertently left behind that night was a personal two-way pager that Jay was rarely seen without.

"The next day — after Jay left to go back to Queens — I came down here to get it," Shake says, standing in front of the downtown club now known as Martini Mike's. "And the first thing on my mind was getting it back to Jay."

Tragically, that was not to be. That evening — sometime around 7:30 on October 30, 2002 — Jay was gunned down inside his Queens recording studio. The pager — and its contents — have remained in Shake's possession ever since.

"The pager's like a part of Jay," Shake says when asked why he's kept it all these years. "I keep it for memory's sake."

Laid out on the dining room table back at Shake's home is an impressive treasure trove of memorabilia documenting a friendship that spanned nearly 15 years. "These are all the memories, man," Shake says standing over the pile of photos, posters, and backstage passes. "This is from the last tour we did together," he says, holding up a yellow laminate. "Jay got mad when I took it, but I said to him: "What do you need it for? You're Jam Master Jay!"

Certainly the most noteworthy memento is the pager that — until now — Shake has shared with no one.

"I keep it in here," he says. "Follow me."

In his bedroom, sitting atop a dresser is the pager. Shake picks it up.

"So this is it," MTV News' Tim Kash says. "Jay's two-way."

The pager — a black Motorola Timeport — is still resting in its original belt holder/clip. It is scuffed on the edges but, aside from looking more than a little old-fashioned next to today's Blackberry Pearls, the pager remains in good shape.

"He kept it on his hip all the time" Shake replies. "He was always on it" — even in the middle of their many marathon gaming sessions at Shake's old house on North 36th Street.

"He'd have the two-way in this hand and the phone in his ear, and at the same time we'd be playing a video game!" Shake laughs. "So after awhile I would just put the controller down and [say], 'Jay, just do all that first and then just let me finish busting your ass!"

Asked what sorts of things Jay was handling on the pager, Shake replies, "It was mostly business," he said. "JMJ stuff, Run-DMC stuff."

By 2002, Jam Master Jay was involved in many business ventures — including running his own record labels (JMJ Records and Hot Ta Def) and breaking the hip-hop act Rusty Waters, as well as ongoing touring and other commitments for Run-DMC (the trio was scheduled to perform during halftime at a Washington Wizards home game on Halloween, the day after Jay was murdered).

The pager enabled him to keep his various projects running while he was on the road. One project Jay was pursuing — with Shake in tow — during that last visit to Milwaukee was a movie with 50 Cent, whom Jay had signed to JMJ Records back in the mid-'90s (it was 50's first recording contract).

"We had driven to Chicago to talk about it," Shake remembers. "Jay wanted to be the first one to do a movie with 50 because he knew that he was going to break big one day," he explains.

Jay would not live long enough to see the 2003 release of Get Rich or Die Tryin', the album that would make 50 Cent a superstar.

According to Shake, the film project was still on Jay's mind when he got back to Queens. "When I called Jay to tell him that I'd found his pager," Shake remembers, "the first thing he did was ask me for 50's number. So I gave it to him, and that was the last conversation we had."

In a matter of hours, the pager that Shake held in his hands, the one he used to retrieve 50's number for Jay, would become not only a record of grief, but also a potential piece of evidence in one of the entertainment world's most high-profile murder cases, and a little piece of history.

As obtained exclusively by MTV News, and revealed here for the first time, the messages received on the night of — and in the days after — Jay's murder comprise an eerie timeline of the crime and its aftermath, with messages from Busta Rhymes, DJ Scratch, DJ Red Alert and others. (To protect individual privacy, we have omitted names, addresses and phone numbers from the messages.)

Time-stamped 9:03 p.m. ET, approximately 90 minutes after Jay was reportedly killed, the first alarming message reads: "Jay? People saying you shot?"

At 9:41 p.m., another: "Please let me know about Jay."

Shake — who saw some of the notes on the pager — recalls that the initial messages were filled with shock and disbelief.

"People were asking if it was real," explains Shake. " 'Is it really true?' and stuff like that."

As time passes, the messages on the pager grow more urgent. "Heard disturbing news," reads a message received at 10:03 p.m. "Say it's not true!"

A matter of minutes later, rumors appear to be confirmed as various hip-hop Web sites begin sending out "Breaking News" blasts: "Jam Master Jay was shot in the head and, according to sources, killed," reads an alert from allhiphop.com at 10:15 p.m. "Authorities had no motive at press time. Please send your prayers to his family and friends."

The sad irony is that Jay's pager received these very messages.

"Did you have to break the sad news to some of Jay's family?" Kash asks Shake.

"Yeah, because I knew a lot of them," Shake replies. "So I'd hit them back and say: 'This is Shake, it's true. He's gone.' "

And then the speculation — at times angry and threatening — about the motive and the men behind the murder begins.

"Was it some robbery ... or beef?" reads one of the messages, time-stamped 12:12 a.m. on October 31, still just hours after the shooting. Another message wonders: "If yall have any leads 2 the clown who did dish olla." Then — just as now, some five years later — there is only speculation. The case remains unsolved, the motive unknown.

As denial and disbelief give way to acceptance, the tone of the messages changes. "Then they started sending their condolences," Shake says. " 'I love you,' 'I miss you,' 'You were the best' — stuff like that."

"The world has suffered a tragic loss," reads one message dated November 1 at 1:27 p.m. "Although I know it's too late for you to read this Jay," reads another sent the night before, "U will never be 4gotten and will truly be missed."

Condolences pour in ("Our heart goes out to the entire Mizell family in their time of loss"). Others report reactions ("I'm in Cincinnati and they've just stopped the music and paid tribute to Jay!"). Some recall good times ("I just kicked it wit you in the studio last week and now you're gone"). Others try to cope with the tragedy ("I guess Pac and B.I.G. needed a DJ").

The raw emotion and sense of loss in all those messages is perhaps best summed up by Run-DMC's Rev Run, who writes simply: "I love you man."

The pager is a historical record, to be sure. But is it of any evidentiary value after all this time? What could it mean to investigators looking for new clues in the still-unsolved case? Aside from the messages pertaining specifically to Jay's murder, the pager also contains messages that Jay was sending and receiving in the days before he was killed — as well as bank account and personal financial information.

"Do you think the pager contains any clues that could help solve the case?" Tim asks.

"I don't think so," Shake says. "But I don't know for sure."

According to Shake, the police have never reached out to him in the course of their investigation. But MTV News has been in contact with those authorities and they say they want to talk to Shake about the last days of Jam Master Jay.

Shake says he would meet with them "in a heartbeat."

"And if they think that there's something on that pager that could help solve the case," says Shake, "then I'm happy to give it to them."

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

• Jam Master Jay's Friend Recalls 'Good Times,' Reveals New Evidence

• Jam Master Jay's Pal Eric "Shake" James in Milwaukee

• Jam Master Jay
• Run-D.M.C.

Eric "Shake" James
Photo: MTV News

MILWAUKEE — The small, single-family house on North 36th Street looks like any typical suburban American home. Just a 15-minute drive from downtown, it stands about 900 miles west from the hustle and bustle of the Hollis neighborhood of Queens, New York.

Our investigation into the murder of rap pioneer (and Hollis native) Jam Master Jay brought us here.

"This is my old crib," explains Eric "Shake" James, one of Jay's closest friends. "And this is where Jam Master Jay spent his last days."

During the week before he was slain more than five years ago, Jam Master Jay traveled to Milwaukee to visit James. The legendary DJ was on break from a Run-DMC tour with Kid Rock and Aerosmith, and spending time with Shake — at this house, and at local clubs and restaurants — was a welcome respite from the hectic pace of life on the road.

James shakes his head sadly as he looks at his old home. "[I'm] just remembering all the good times we had here," he says. "Like playing video games."

Jam Master Jay was an avid gamer. In fact, he was reportedly in the middle of a game of "Madden NFL" on the night he was killed inside his Queens recording studio.

Shake points out the room at the front of the house where he and Jay would hole up and play — sometimes all day, sometimes even longer. "He could beat me in boxing but not in football," Shake remembers, smiling. "But he always wanted to play football, and every time he picked the Giants."

Just hours after Jay left Shake's house to catch a flight back to New York on the morning of October 30, 2002, the legendary DJ would be gunned down by assailants whose identities remain a mystery. Like the murders of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, Jay's remains unsolved.

"Had I known what was going to happen to him when he went back home," Shake says now, "I would never have let him leave here."

Unlike most of those in Jay's inner circle, often referred to as the "Hollis Crew," Shake was not from Queens. He wasn't an old pal seeking a favor or an aspiring rapper looking to ride Jay's coattails. By all accounts, he was an ordinary kid and a fan, lucky enough to befriend one of his idols. As Ethan Brown, author of "Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler" put it, "there was no baggage" in their friendship.

And yet, despite his relationship with and close proximity to Jay in those critical last days, Shake has never been questioned by authorities investigating the rapper's murder and, until this interview, he had never spoken on-camera about the last hours he spent with his famous friend.

"This was one of Jay's favorite places to eat," Shake says as we enter Kopp's, a popular restaurant on North Port Washington Road, a 10-minute drive from Shake's old house on 36th Street. "We came here a lot during that last visit. He loved those chicken sandwiches," Shake tells us as we wait in line to order food. Crowded with high school kids and soccer moms, the place seems an unlikely hang for a hip-hop superstar.

By the time Shake first met Jay — in 1988, when Shake was 19 — he was already a huge Run-DMC fan. "My Uncle Gary would play their records all the time," Shake recalls. "Since I was an only child, I really looked up to him, so I started listening to them too. We'd sit in the basement after school, listening to their songs over and over so we could memorize the lyrics."

One day a friend of Shake's was hanging out at Milwaukee's Grand Avenue Mall with Run-DMC; the group was on tour at the time. Shake met them at the mall and ended up shooting hoops with the guys at the local YMCA.

Jay had a sharp eye when it came to style, and he took a shine to Shake's Adidas.

"Between the sneakers and the hoops, me and Jay just hit it off right away," Shake recalls. "It was instantaneous — we just clicked."

After the game, Shake offered Jay a ride in his car.

"This is your car, Shorty?" Shake remembers Jay saying, pointing to his tricked-out 1967 Cadillac. "Jay was a car guy, so he could appreciate it."

Shake tossed him the keys and Jay got behind the wheel. "The next day at school, I told all my friends that Jam Master Jay had driven my car, but none of them believed me."

Not only had Jay driven his car, but he'd also given Shake his number.

"Let's stay in touch," Shake remembers Jay telling him. And they did. "Next to the word 'friend' in the dictionary there should be a picture of Jay," Shake says. "Because that's what he was: a true friend."

Over the years, that friendship deepened. Jay brought Shake on video shoots, invited him to the party he threw for his 10th wedding anniversary, and took him along when Run-DMC went on tour. "Jay took me all around the world," Shake says. "We even went to Russia — in a small-ass plane!"

On the road with Jay, Shake also got to hang with some of hip-hop's biggest MCs: 50 Cent, Ja Rule and even Tupac. After Jay introduced Tupac to Shake outside a Los Angeles nightclub in the late '80s, Pac asked for Shake's number so that they could hook up at a show Pac was planning to do in Milwaukee. Pac made good on his promise, and the next time Pac came to Brew City he invited Shake to his hotel, where he played him the classic record "Cradle to the Grave." Shake even got to DJ for Pac on one night of the tour.

Over the years, Shake said Jay confided in him about his personal aspirations (he wanted to get out of music and make movies), financial matters (people owed him money) and problems with friends (he worried that some of his closest associates were taking advantage of him).

Asked if Jay tried to leave any of those problems behind when he was in Milwaukee, Shake says, "No way. He was always on his pager. Wherever we were, it never left his side."

Playmakers is a nondescript shirt and sneakers store on North Martin Luther King Drive in a tough Milwaukee neighborhood dotted with churches and liquor shops. The place is everything you'd expect in a hip-hop apparel store. Shake's been coming here for most of his life.

"Ever since I told Jay that this was the place I got those Adidas that he liked so much, he loved Playmakers," Shake says. "Not every region would get the same styles. New York would get one style and here in the Midwest we'd get something different; the Midwest would get a certain kind of Phat Farm shirt that you could only get out here, or a certain kind of Adidas sneakers that you could only get out here."

We follow Shake to a rack of shoes on the wall.

"He really liked the running shoes," says Shake, pulling a pair of Adidas trainers from the shelf. "Like these right here, these would be some JMJ's for sure."

And true to the Run-DMC song, Jay always favored Adidas. "The one time he wore Reeboks was for a basketball tournament in Russia," Shake laughs. "Reebok was the sponsor, so he had to wear Reeboks!"

Jay would also insist on paying, sometimes over the objections of the store owners. "The guys that owned the store had so much love for Jay that that they were like, 'Damn, I can't really take his money,' " Shake remembers. "So they would give him a couple pairs of sneakers and some shirts. But you know Jay, he'd wanna pay. So he'd be like, 'Nah, take this,' and he'd give them $200 or swipe his card."

As we leave Playmakers, Shake is asked about Jay's generosity, and whether it attracted people who may not have had his best interests at heart.

"Jay had the wrong people around him," Shake says, but doesn't elaborate.

Jay and Shake would also hit Milwaukee's nightclubs when he was in town. "People would be like, 'You look just like that DJ from Run-DMC!' " Shake recalls, laughing. "But when he jumped on the turntables — which he did every chance he got — people knew he was for real."

Standing on the sidewalk outside Martini Mike's on North Old World 3rd Street, Shake says, "This is where Jay and I came on our last night together." He peers into the club's darkened windows as if he's peering into the past. The place, called the Velvet Room when Jay and Shake frequented it, has since been remodeled, but Shake paints a vivid picture of what it was like hanging out there with Jay.

"He didn't have any security around him. He wouldn't stick to some VIP table," Shakes says. "He never moved like that. He'd be on the floor, with the people. Or DJing, just doing what he loved.

"Jay always had lots of admirers," Shake continues. "Everyone was always asking for autographs, giving him demos to listen to. And Jay signed every autograph and took every demo tape. That's the way it always was when I went out with Jay."

However, something out of the ordinary happened here on the night of October 29, 2002 — the last time Shake and Jay came here together.

"Jay lost his pager that night," Shake says.

"The one he always had with him?" MTV News' Tim Kash asks.

"That's right," Shake explains. "That was how you got through to Jay."

"So what happened to the pager?"

"I went back and got it the next day," Shake explains. "I was going to give it back to him, but then ..." Shake's voice trails off.

"Where is the pager now?" Tim asks. "Who has it?"

"I do," Shake says. "Come on over to my crib and I'll show it to you."

What was in that pager? Check back on Thursday to find out.

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

• Jam Master Jay's Friend Recalls 'Good Times,' Reveals New Evidence

• Jam Master Jay: Cast of Characters

• Jam Master Jay
• Run-D.M.C.

Jam Master Jay
Photo: Glen E. Friedman (Burning Flags Press)

BROOKLYN, New York — The Jam Master Jay murder investigation took another turn Wednesday when Ronald "Tinard" Washington, who has been implicated by two unnamed witnesses in Jay's murder, was sentenced in federal court to 17 years in prison and three years' supervised release.

The sentencing follows the defendant's conviction last year on a series of robbery charges dating back to 2002.

Prosecutor Sean Haran argued for a stronger sentence for Washington "due to the defendant's involvement in two separate murders," presumably referring to the murders of Jay and Tupac Shakur's bodyguard Randy "Stretch" Walker, but Federal Judge Nina Gershon declined to consider the murders in her decision.

"If it was such an overwhelming case, someone would have prosecuted him, instead of hanging a murder on a string of robberies with a BB gun," she said in her ruling.

Dressed in an off-white T-shirt and ash-colored baggy sweatpants, a visibly distressed Washington sat quietly in the corridor.

According to federal documents, Washington, 40, confessed his role to a former girlfriend, although he has not been charged with the murder. His defense lawyer, Susan Kellman, told the paper, "If the government had a case, they'd bring it. The reality is, they have no idea who [killed Jam Master Jay]."

However, Washington may not have seen his last day in court: Police officials have told MTV News that he is "a person of interest" in the ongoing investigation of the murders.

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

• Looking Deeper Into Jam Master Jay's Death

• Jam Master Jay: Cast of Characters

• Jam Master Jay
• Run-D.M.C.

Jam Master Jay's business partner Randy Allen, left, and brother Marvin Thompson with Tim Kash
Photo: MTV News

Randy Allen knows more about the murder of his best friend, Jam Master Jay, than he's thus far been willing to discuss publicly — or privately, with authorities who continue to investigate the still-unsolved crime. He has admitted that much to MTV News.

Allen has returned to the spotlight in recent weeks, offering tantalizing new details about the events of that cold October night in 2002 when unknown assailants entered the 24/7 Recording Studios in Queens, New York, and killed the legendary DJ for the trailblazing rap trio Run-DMC.

Not just a lifelong friend of Jay's but also a business partner, Allen is one of a small handful of witnesses who were actually inside that recording studio on the night of the murder, though he claims to have been in another room when it occurred. What exactly Allen saw that night remains unclear, as do his actions in the wake of the shooting.

Allen's reluctance to answer those questions definitively has resulted in a bitter estrangement from Jay's family, with whom he was once very close. The family, including Jay's outspoken brother, Marvin Thompson, has not been quiet about its suspicions that Allen, like other witnesses in the studio that night, is withholding vital information that could help solve the case.

"Nobody seen nobody? Come on, man. Who wrote that script? There's too many holes in that movie," Thompson recently exclaimed. "I don't trust nobody that was in the studio." Those people include Allen; his sister Lydia High; their associate "Mike B"; an aspiring singer affiliated with Jay's production company; and Jay's friend Uriel "Tony" Rincon, who was sitting next to Jay at the time of his death, and who was also shot that night by one of the two gunmen.

(See a timeline of events surrounding Jam Master Jay's murder and a guide to key players in our first installment here.)

The Jam Master Jay Reports Part 1: The story so far: A timeline of events surrounding Jam Master Jay's death and a list of the key figures. Part 2 : A conversation with Randy Allen who reacts to recent developments in the case and offers to speak with Jay's brother, Marvin Thompson. Part 3: Randy Allen and Marvin Thompson speak about the murder for the first time in five years. For full coverage of the ongoing Jam Master Jay case, see The Jam Master Jay Reports.

For more than five years, Thompson and Allen didn't speak, their paths crossing not a single time. But that silence was broken last week when MTV News helped facilitate a meeting between the two. It was no easy task.

Allen and Thompson came face-to-face at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom late last month at the first J.A.M. Awards, which were a tribute to Jam Master Jay. Our cameras captured the brief but tense confrontation, which ended with a reluctant handshake.

Speaking to MTV News the following day, Thompson said he was "shocked" to see Allen there — as offended as he was to see him years earlier on the day he buried his brother.

"I felt insulted at him being at the funeral," Thompson said. "He would have gotten it at the funeral if one of my friends didn't stop me. That's real. One of my friends stopped me from taking him out."

Thompson's hostility was evident. But so too was his quest for answers in the murder that changed so many lives, including his own. By the interview's end, he agreed to sit down with Allen to discuss the case in a conversation that would be moderated by MTV News' Tim Kash. There would certainly be no shortage of questions for Allen, who has become increasingly forthcoming in the weeks since the fifth anniversary of Jay's death.

Confronted with allegations made by author and cop-turned-private investigator Derrick Parker, Allen seemed to confirm that in the moments after the murder, he did, in fact, grab a gun in the recording studio — a gun that, he says, belonged to Jam Master Jay. At the same time, he seemed to deny actually chasing the perpetrators and firing at them. It's only fair, we feel, to qualify Allen's confirmations and denials because his statements are often rambling, evasive and sometimes contradictory.

That was also the case on December 6, when Allen met Thompson at MTV's studios in New York. This was the meeting Randy had, in recent weeks, so desperately sought, and the same one that Marvin had resisted, showing up only after nearly pulling out in the hours leading up to it.

Far more than a passing handshake, this would be an opportunity for former friends to reconnect, an opportunity to compare notes, air grievances, clear up misconceptions, dispel myths and possibly help solve the murder of Jam Master Jay.

Security guards stood by as the two apprehensively took their seats across from one another, on either side of Tim Kash. And so began the emotionally charged encounter, a conversation that would last for more than two hours.

"I missed [Allen]," admitted Thompson, whose distrust of Allen had only grown in the five years that he says Randy avoided him and the rest of Jay's family. "He was like a brother to me, growing up. ... When I buried Jason [Jam Master Jay's real name was Jason Mizell], it seemed like I buried Randy at the same time. It's like I buried two brothers at the same time. I was looking for Randy to be more upright." He then addressed Allen more directly: "I was looking for you to tell me what happened."

"I thought about that, and you're right, Marvin," Allen conceded, but he went on to explain why he avoided the family. Randy says his sister, who was also in the studio on the night of the shooting, identified one of the gunmen as someone who was living with members of Jam Master Jay's family. "When ... Jay got shot, my thoughts were: I don't know who just did this ... but I'm hearing that it came from somebody that lived in [Jay's family's] household. I thought the best thing I can do was stay away ... I knew after this whole thing happened ... that person went back to the house."

Thompson knew who Allen was referring to. Ronald "Tinard" Washington, a convicted armed robber who is currently behind bars on charges unrelated to the JMJ case, was a family friend staying with Jay's sister and cousin in Jay's mother's home at the time of the murder. Thompson agreed with Allen that Jay wanted Washington out of that house, suspecting him of committing several robberies around the Queens neighborhood of Hollis — a neighborhood Run-DMC immortalized in both song and video.

But Thompson has a theory of his own, one that hits equally close to home. In an interview with MTV News conducted several days before the meeting with Allen, Thompson alleged for the first time that Allen's younger brother Teddy might be the gunman who killed Jam Master Jay.

The killing, Thompson theorized, stemmed from an altercation between one of Jay's cousins, nicknamed "Phonz," and Teddy, who was a regular at the recording studios where the murder occurred. "Teddy pulled a gun on my cousin. A week later, my brother caught a bullet in the head," he said.

"[Teddy] was never in the studio," Allen said in regard to reports that his brother was seen, shirtless, outside 24/7 Studios soon after the murder. "Teddy was taking a shower somewhere. [He] came out of wherever he was at after he heard the shots. I guess he just ran to it.

"Teddy is my brother," Allen stressed. "Teddy was the person that if we went away from the studio, he wouldn't let a bunch of people in, namely Tinard. It was Jay's decision that Teddy be there while we were away — while [Jay and I were in Puerto Rico, about a week before the murder], Teddy and Phonz had an altercation."

Allen would spend a considerable amount of time debunking the "Teddy" theory. And, at times, Marvin seemed to hear him. But he nonetheless seemed unwilling to entirely dismiss the possibility that Allen and his sister Lydia — who was also in the recording studio on the night of the shooting — were covering for their "baby brother," who might have killed his "baby brother."

Thompson pressed Allen on Lydia's trustworthiness. It was she who, apparently unknowingly, had buzzed in Jay's killers. And it's believed she would have seen their images at that time as they were captured on a security camera outside the entrance to the studios.

That security camera, and more specifically the footage that it ostensibly recorded in the early evening hours of October 30, 2002, was the subject of perhaps the most intriguing exchange of the entire meeting.

MTV News reporter Tim Kash immediately recognized the implications of a conversation about the tape containing that security-camera footage: It became clear as the discussion unfolded that both Randy and Marvin seemed to have prior knowledge that the incriminating tape — likely showing the identity of the assailants — is missing.

"You know who took it out?" asked Kash. "Yes, I have theories," answered Allen, claiming to have a good idea of the tape's whereabouts — which suggests that he knows who has it. He chose not to elaborate on camera.

"That is one of the conversations, Marvin, I'mma tell you about it," a fidgety and clearly uncomfortable Allen began, "but that part of the conversation is a part of the conversation that is a major part in the case ... I'mma tell you, when we're off the camera, things you don't know. That's what I mean by 'We can solve this thing.' We can get to the bottom of this."

It did, in fact, seem as though Randy and Marvin were at times filling in blanks for one another, altering each other's perceptions of events they thought they fully understood or perhaps knew they did not. The session proved undeniably enlightening for both even if, in the end, their relations on this day could only be characterized as cordial at best.

At the end of the sit-down, Allen and Thompson hugged. The wall between them may not have been leveled, but it's certainly a bit lower. They even agreed to meet again to continue the dialogue away from the cameras, though Thompson has since told us that he has no plans to see Allen again anytime soon. Whether or not the two can ever be friends again remains to be seen. It seems clear, though, that they share a common goal: to find out who killed Jason Mizell.

"I don't wanna go 10 years, 20 years [without knowing]," Thompson said, looking numb with frustration. "This ain't no John F. Kennedy saga. I don't wanna go my lifetime with 'Who killed Jam Master Jay?' "

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

• Looking Deeper Into Jam Master Jay's Death

• Jam Master Jay
• Run-D.M.C.

Randy Allen
Photo: MTV News

The shocking murder of legendary DJ Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC remains shrouded in mystery, with police still tracking down leads and members of Jay's inner circle pointing fingers at one another. Jay's brother, Marvin Thompson, has been publicly vocal that JMJ associates Uriel "Tony" Rincon and Mike B.; Jay's best friend and former business partner, Randy Allen; and Allen's sister Lydia High — who were in the Queens, New York, studio at the time — must have witnessed the murder or, at the very least, seen the faces of the two gunmen who committed the crime five years ago.

"It's too many people in that studio for [everybody] to come out and say, 'I ain't see nothing,' " Thompson recently told MTV News.

As the second installment of a three-part series rolling out this week — culminating in the first conversation between Thompson and Allen since the murder — MTV News spoke with Allen about what happened in the studio that night. (Check out the timeline and guide to key players in our first installment here.)

Jay's former business partner told us that Rincon — who was sitting next to Jay playing video games when he was shot — should definitely have seen the killer.

"I think he's matured as a person, I think he just can't live with it anymore," Allen said of Rincon breaking years of silence when he was recently interviewed by New York's Daily News. Rincon maintained he did not see the gunmen because seconds before they came in the room, he was reaching for his cell phone behind the couch. They then shot Jay, and Rincon in the leg.

Allen calls the scenario Rincon described preposterous.

The Jam Master Jay Reports Part 1: The story so far: A timeline of events surrounding Jam Master Jay's death and a list of the key figures. Part 2 : A conversation with Randy Allen who reacts to recent developments in the case and offers to speak with Jay's brother, Marvin Thompson. Part 3: Randy Allen and Marvin Thompson speak about the murder for the first time in five years. For full coverage of the ongoing Jam Master Jay case, see The Jam Master Jay Reports.

"He was the only other one that got shot," Allen huffed. "If I was sitting next to Jay and I got shot, I can't imagine me not seeing the person. We're talking about somebody in the space we're in. If somebody was to walk up to me ... there's no way in the world you can tell me later that you didn't see that person.

"How could you not see the person? I was in the studio, I know the studio and I know its setup so you could look at the door," Allen continued. "I know Tony's not telling the truth. I came close to him telling me [what really happened]. I never hurt anybody in my life. I don't know how to hurt a person physically. I know I can get into a fight with a person, but I don't if I'll push them into something ... I'm not a violent person. When Tony was around me after Jay died, I didn't feel like I had to grab him, choke or beat it out of him. I felt like, 'We all just been through something real serious.' Tony was a friend, and I think he needs a little time like I needed a little time."

But that time has stretched into more than five years, and the truth has yet to surface. MTV News' recent interviews with Allen and former New York City detective-turned-private eye Derrick Parker seem to confirm one long-standing rumor: that Jam Master Jay had a gun with him in the studio at the time of the murder.

"It was a gun he got from somebody," Allen said of the firearm, which he says was lying near the DJ at the time of his death. "It was more like an antique type of situation. Like in my house, I have an antique gun inside of a glass casing. This gun has been around so long that I looked at it like it wasn't a gun anymore. It was a part of the fixture."

Parker, who co-authored "Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations From the NYPD's First 'Hip-Hop Cop,' " alleges that not only did Jay have a gun, but that forensic evidence proves that someone in the studio shot at Jay's killers as they fled the scene.

"The two perpetrators that were involved with this left the building, ran out, and there were shots fired out at them when they left," Parker told MTV News. "This is a new piece of evidence. There was another weapon [other than the assailants'] that was used by somebody in the studio to go after the two perpetrators that shot Jay." Parker asserts that somebody was Randy Allen.

Initially, Allen maintained that he did not shoot at anyone that night. But he did not say, however, if he in fact picked up the weapon and attempted to go after the killers. The harder Allen was pressed on the allegations that he fired a weapon on the night of the murder, the more conflicted he seemed to be regarding what he felt he could say versus what he wanted to say.

"I wish I would've," he said, choosing his words carefully, in regards to picking up the gun and trying to pursue the assailants. "When I came out of the room, I wish I would've seen them and had a gun.

"[But] I don't wanna give nobody no misconceptions," he continued. "Jay was my best friend, my only friend in the world. What do you think people think I did? It's the natural thing to do. You come out of a room and your friend is laying on the floor shot, what do you do? You don't have a gun. You gonna go after somebody without a gun? Your instincts would be to pick it up and chase whoever the hell just left.

"That's how I know the gun wasn't fired," he added, responding to Parker's claim that Allen had indeed used the weapon. "So wherever you're reading that or whoever's putting that out there is full of crap. It was never fired, it never had a chance to be fired."

All that said, when pressed about the accusation, Allen seemed to soften his once-firm stance. He spoke both hypothetically and rhetorically about what we thought he would've done had he stumbled upon his best friend shot dead. But some of his answers were puzzling.

"If that's what you would've done, then that's probably what I would've done," he said about exacting justice by picking up a gun and firing at a best friend's murderers in a given scenario.

"I'm not trying to be not real about this, but I don't know where this leads to. If I say I picked up the gun and I ran behind the guy trying to get him, I don't want that to be misconceived," he said. "Everything has been blown all out of proportion about anything that's being said."

"Everything has been blown all out of proportion about anything that's being said," he answered.

But then, after making some vague comments, Allen said very bluntly: "To be honest with you, you know what? Everybody knew I picked the gun up."

If Allen's comments about picking up the gun seemed sometimes contradictory, he ultimately maintained that he did not fire it: "I'm saying, I never even shot the gun, but if I had the chance to do it I would've."

When MTV News made inquiries to the police about whether any additional shots were fired in or around the recording studio by anyone other than the assailants who killed Jay, detectives on the case refused to comment because the case is still open and the investigation is ongoing. In addition to local authorities, federal investigators are now looking into JMJ's murder.

Allen maintains that a reconciliation with Jay's family could help solve the case. MTV News was able to facilitate Allen's wish: Last week, we conducted a joint interview with him and Thompson, in which they were able to air everything out face-to-face. Speaking for the first time since the murder five years ago, the conversation was at times volatile, insightful and very emotional. Check out MTVNews.com on Thursday to read and see video from the sit-down.

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

• Looking Deeper Into Jam Master Jay's Death

• Jam Master Jay
• Run-D.M.C.

Jam Master Jay in 1985
Photo: Glen E. Friedman (Burning Flags Press)

Five years after the shocking murder of legendary DJ Jam Master Jay of Run-DMC, theories and emotions continue to swirl. They've heated up in recent months and culminate this week, as MTV News presents Randy Allen, one of the witnesses to the murder, speaking with Marvin Thompson, Jay's brother, about the tragedy for the first time in five years.

While police have not named a suspect in the murder and no arrests have been made, news about evidence and motives continues to emerge.

(Click here for photos of the "24/7" studio and key figures.)

As the first installment of a three-part series rolling out this week — culminating in the first conversation between Jay's brother and Randy Allen, the DJ's former business partner, since the murder — MTV News has compiled a timeline of the events surrounding the murder.

October 30, 2002, 6:00 p.m.: Jay arrives at his 24/7 Studio in Queens, New York, to work on some material for Rusty Waters, one of the acts signed to his label. Waiting for things to get started, he sits on a couch in the studio's lounge and plays a few games of "Madden 2002" with his friend Uriel "Tony" Rincon, 25. According to Rincon, Jay brings out a pistol and places it on the couch next to them, which makes the studio's receptionist and Jay's assistant, Lydia High, nervous. She asks him to put it away when she comes in a short time later to discuss Jay's schedule. Randy Allen, a member of Rusty Waters and a longtime friend of Jay's, arrives at the studio soon after, along with a friend known as Mike B., and the pair go into another room to listen to demo tapes by an aspiring artist affiliated with Jay's production company.

October 30, 2002, 7:30 p.m.: According to Rincon, his cell phone rings around this time, and as he reaches down to answer it, he hears footsteps. It is unknown how many people are involved, but the assailant or assailants walk by High's desk, telling her to get on the ground, and then greet Jay. The DJ reportedly embraces and/or slaps hands with his shooter, who appears to have been buzzed into the studio by High, indicating that the DJ knows his assailant or assailants. According to Rincon, the shooter opens fire, striking him in the leg and Jay, 37, fatally in the back of the head. Though Allen, Mike B., Rincon and High are all at the studio that night, reportedly none of them witness the actual shooting or see who pulled the trigger. Someone from the control room where Allen and Mike B. are working reportedly follows the gunmen as they leave and fires a weapon at them.

November 2002: Theories begin to emerge about the possible motives for the murder, including a debt owed to an old neighborhood acquaintance, revenge by disgruntled rappers with whom Jay had worked and who may have killed him over a disputed music publishing advance, or even a possible connection to 50 Cent, who had been a protégé of Jay's.

November 10, 2002: The New York Post reports that Ronald "Tinard" Washington, an associate of Jay's, may have served as a lookout while the DJ was shot. Washington is believed to have tipped off the killers when Jay arrived at his 24/7 Studio and then waited outside while the perpetrators committed the crime. The man believed to be an accomplice to Jay's murder is thought to be hiding out in Washington, D.C. He was only identified as "a convicted drug dealer." The paper also says that Jam Master Jay may have been killed for a dispute over money, and names Curtis Scoon — who had allegedly been feuding with Jay — as the prime suspect in the investigation and the man wanted by police for questioning. Among the theories is that Jay owed a debt to Scoon and was killed following an argument over the money.

December 12, 2002: Jay's longtime friend, Randy Allen, who was present in the studio the night of the murder, denies reports that he was involved in the slaying and had set up Jay in an attempt to cash in on a $500,000 life insurance policy. "You can't believe everything you read. That's a cruel thing to do to Jam Master Jay," Allen later told MTV News.

April 2003: Several Queens residents say they know who killed Jay but are afraid to go to police with the information out of fear. "Honestly, I think the police know what happened but they just don't want to see justice done," neighborhood resident Olivia Jackson says. "I know who killed him because I'm in the streets. If I know, then I'm pretty sure they do too."

June 19, 2003: An investigator tells MTV News that police are again looking into reports that Allen may have been involved in the murder. The news comes days after Jay's mother, Connie Mizell, told New York's Daily News that she was upset she had not heard from Allen since the DJ's slaying and about reports he wasn't cooperating with police. "That hurts me more than words will ever say," she told the paper. "All of these years, [Jay] and Randy have been friends. We were all as close as close can be, and I haven't seen Randy since my Jason was killed. You're his friend for 20 years and you don't want to talk to the police about what happened? You don't come to my house after he died? You want to say you don't know anything?" Police dismissed, however, another report that same week that the murder may have resulted from a deadly love triangle between Jay, his wife, Terri Corley-Mizell, and Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff, an alleged neighborhood drug kingpin.

The Jam Master Jay Reports Part 1: The story so far: A timeline of events surrounding Jam Master Jay's death and a list of the key figures. Part 2 : A conversation with Randy Allen who reacts to recent developments in the case and offers to speak with Jay's brother, Marvin Thompson. Part 3: Randy Allen and Marvin Thompson speak about the murder for the first time in five years. For full coverage of the ongoing Jam Master Jay case, see The Jam Master Jay Reports.

October 23, 2003: The Mizell family tells MTV News that they are planning to hire a private detective because of its frustration with the slow pace of the investigation into the case. The family also puts up its own $500,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of JMJ's murderer. That week, The New York Post reported that Lydia High — Randy Allen's sister and a close friend of Jay's who was present at the 24/7 Studio the night of the murder — had come forward to police and fingered a triggerman in the murder. The NYPD denied the report.

October 29, 2003: New York's Newsday reports that Jay was heavily in debt at the time of his death, owing as much as $500,000 in taxes. The red ink was so deep, according to the paper, that Mizell's wife had to take on a job at Banana Republic to help pay the bills.

April 2007: The Boston Herald reports that an unnamed witness told police that Ronald "Tinard" Washington, 43, was an accessory to the murder of Jay. The news comes a week after Washington was convicted of six armed robberies for holdups he committed in November 2002. The witness said that Washington confessed to his role in Jay's murder, as well as the 1995 murder of Randy "Stretch" Walker, a close associate of late rapper Tupac Shakur. Washington told the paper he expected to be charged as an accessory in both murders, but denied being involved in either slaying.

October 29, 2007: Queens record store owner William "The Mayor" Pittman takes MTV News on a tour of Jay's 24/7 studio, which had been sealed off until recently. "It was a disaster," Pittman says of the dire state of the studio following the police investigation into the murder. "The floors were [torn] up, all the carpet was ripped up. The walls were down, all of the wall panels were taken down. You could tell that a lot had [happened here] before we actually obtained it. It was really disturbing how it was left; it was very messed up construction-wise." Pittman shows MTV reporters the spot where JMJ was shot and reveals a treasure trove of artifacts he'd found in the studio, including old digital tapes with "50 Cent" and "Onyx" written on them, as well as several pairs of JMJ's Adidas sneakers.

November 5, 2007: A Daily News story is published in which Allen reveals to the newspaper that Lydia High said the gunman, still not identified, had a telltale tattoo on his neck and that he hugged JMJ before pulling the trigger. In the interview, Allen also told the paper that he had fully cooperated with investigators and that he was furious Rincon had refused to identify the killer.

November 13, 2007: Allen tells MTV News he wants the same thing JMJ's family wants — closure — and says he's not the "bad guy" in the tragic story. "As far as I'm concerned, everybody that was there and hasn't said anything had something to do with it," Mizell's brother, Marvin Thompson, said in a Daily News article the previous week. Allen tells MTV News that he has been trying to figure out who killed Mizell for the past five years and insists he did not witness the murder, but that he has his own theory on who the murderer is — someone who was very close to Mizell and his family.

November 25, 2007: After five years of silence, witness Rincon finally comes forward and tells the Daily News that Jay had a pistol with him the night of the murder, and that he placed it on the arm of the couch they were sitting on while playing video games, suggesting that the DJ suspected he was a marked man. Rincon said Jay knew his killer and that, "Had there been immediate animosity or if there was a problem, they wouldn't have been that close. ... His gun was right there. ... He would've been blazing." At some point, Rincon said his phone rang and as he bent down to pick it up off the floor, he heard footsteps and heard Jay say, "Oh, sh--" and then gunshots rang out. Shot in the leg, Rincon turned to see Jay facedown on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head and the killer, wearing a dark sweater, running out of the studio. He claimed he never saw the killer's face.

November 30, 2007: Allen gets into an emotional confrontation with members of Jay's family at the J.A.M. Awards at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. At one point, the event's producer told Allen to "Get out!" and a large group of men took off in search of Allen to remove him from the venue. Just before the uproar, Allen and Thompson had crossed paths for the first time since Jay's funeral and the two men agreed to speak at a later time.

December 2007 Allen and Thompson meet and speak in front of MTV News' cameras: Check back as our reports on Jam Master Jay's murder continue Tuesday and Thursday.

Key Figures

Jam Master Jay: Jason Mizell, DJ for hip-hop pioneers Run-DMC, owner of 24/7 Studio. Murdered on October 30, 2002.

Randy Allen: A member of the Jay-produced hip-hop duo Rusty Waters, as well as Jay's friend and business partner, he was in the studio the night of the murder. Named in a number of news accounts as a possible suspect whose motive may have been to collect on an insurance policy, Allen has denied any involvement in the killing.

Lydia High: The receptionist at the 24/7 Studio who reportedly was the first to be confronted by the murderers and Allen's sister.

Derrick Parker: Former New York City police officer, the "hip-hop cop," co-author of "Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations From the NYPD's First "Hip-Hop Cop."

Uriel "Tony" Rincon: The man who was sitting on a couch playing video games with Jay when the DJ was shot, and who was shot in the leg during the assault. Rincon reportedly got tangled up with the shooter as he tried to flee the scene.

Curtis Scoon: A onetime suspect in the shooting who has never been arrested by police.

Boe Skagz: (Real name: Rodney Jones) Jay's nephew, the other member of the Jay-produced hip-hop duo Rusty Waters and who was allegedly in the studio the night of the murder.

Marvin Thompson: Jam Master Jay's brother.

Ronald "Tinard" Washington: A convicted armed robber who allegedly confessed to Jay's murder, according to a witness, as well as the 1995 murder of Tupac Shakur associate Randy "Stretch" Walker; Washington has denied being involved in either slaying.

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

• Jam Master Jay's Death: Five Years Later

• Jam Master Jay: Cast of Characters
• Jam Master Jay: Then And Now

• Jam Master Jay
• Run-D.M.C.

MTV News' Tim Kash and Randy Allen at the J.A.M. Awards on Thursday
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — The legacy of the late Jam Master Jay was honored Thursday night at the first annual J.A.M. Awards held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J and EMPD, De La Soul, and Jim Jones and Juelz Santana were among the many that turned out to perform and offer words of praise for the well-respected Run-DMC turntable wizard. Others took the opportunity to address the DJ's still unsolved 2002 murder that shocked the hip-hop world.

Jam Master Jay's wife, Terri Corley-Mizell, and Run-DMC's Darryl McDaniels co-hosted the event, which honored Chuck D, graffiti icon Lee Quinones and Wyclef Jean for their contributions in the fields of justice, arts and music (hence J.A.M. Awards), respectively. Chuck D and Wyclef were unable to attend, but representatives accepted the awards on their behalf.

"Everyone has heard the phrase, 'The apple doesn't fall far from the tree,' " Quinones said after receiving his award. "And I'd like to say that rings true for Jay and his legacy."

The rest of the nearly four-hour production featured appearances by Reverend Run, who spoke only briefly before he introduced EPMD. And Prodigy took to the stage (without Havoc) to run through a number of Mobb Deep tracks. Rapper-turned-rocker Everlast performed an acoustic set dedicated to JMJ, and Raekwon, M.O.P., Dead Prez and Papoose rounded out the bill.

The event, however, didn't run without a hitch.

Randy Allen, Jay's former business partner and one of the last to see the DJ alive on that fateful night five years ago, was in attendance, to the surprise of many associates of Jam Master Jay.

"Get out!" the promoter of the show was overheard shouting at Allen, who many have said they believe is withholding evidence that could be instrumental in solving the Jam Master Jay slaying, an allegation Allen has denied. Seconds later, a large group of men descended the stairs into the basement area of the Hammerstein Ballroom in search of Allen, but passed him unknowingly as he made a tense exit.

In recent interviews with MTV News, Allen has emphatically stated that Jay's family holds the key to the unresolved killing, and claims he's dedicated the past five years to putting the pieces together. He pleaded that both parties, himself and the family, should be working together instead of bickering.

Moments before the emotional confrontation, Allen and Marvin Thompson, Jam Master Jay's brother, crossed paths for the first time since Jay's funeral.

The two men were cordial, with Thompson telling Allen they need to speak, but that moment was not the appropriate time.

In a sign perhaps of more things to come as the result of the spirited festivities last night, and after five long years with no results, Boe Skagz, former member of the rap group Rusty Waters with Allen and the nephew of Jam Master Jay, extended an olive branch to his estranged partner after hearing he wanted to reconcile with the family.

"You have to reach out a certain way," Jay's nephew said. "What I would tell Randy is you need to just go and say whatever it is you can to my grandmother [Jay's mother]. I'll give you the number if he wants and help him out. That'll be good for everyone."

MTV News will have much more on the Jam Master Jay case in the coming weeks.

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

• Jam Master Jay's J.A.M. Awards Become Setting For Tense Reunion

• LL Cool J, Mobb Deep, EPMD And More At Awards Show Honoring Jam Master Jay

• Jam Master Jay

Randy Allen
Photo: MTV News

Randy Allen, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell's former business partner and best friend, says he still wants the same thing the legendary DJ's family wants — closure. He wants to find out who killed Mizell and why.

"A lot of different people [are] saying different things about Jay that aren't true and misleading this whole investigation about who killed Jay," he recently told MTV News. "I need to straighten it out. Since everybody comes at me, I'm [perceived as] the bad guy. But in all reality, I am far from being a bad guy."

Allen — who was in Mizell's 24/7 Studio in Queens, New York, when he was murdered on October 30, 2002 — said he was disappointed in a recent New York Daily News article in which the Mizell family pointed the finger at him. They didn't implicate Allen as the killer but condemned his silence.

"As far as I'm concerned, everybody that was there and hasn't said anything had something to do with it," Mizell's brother, Marvin Thompson, fumed in the article, regarding witnesses not cooperating with the police.

"It's five years already and none of his so-called friends that were in the studio have come forth yet," Thompson added. "Come on, you were in the studio and didn't see nothing. It just doesn't make no sense."

Allen says he has been trying to figure out who killed Mizell for the past five years and still insists he did not witness the murder. Allen does have his own speculation about who the murderer is — someone who was very close to Mizell and his family.

"Every day when I go to sleep, I can hear Jay say, 'Randy, go get Nita, go get Marvin, go get Bo and go get my mom,' " he said, describing the dreams he has where the MC tells him to talk to various members of the Mizell family. " 'You'll go get with them, and you'll find out who shot me.'

"That part of it — [people seeing me as] being a bad guy — I'll deal with it, but to slant the whole investigation, I can't do that anymore," he added. "I'm done with it. That's where I am with it. And if there's anything about the street code, about people saying, 'Keep it real to the streets,' and, 'Snitching is bad,' and this and that, I want everybody to know that don't reflect with me. 'Cause it's not about snitching with Jay. It's about being real and letting people know exactly what [happened] with Jay. And it's not a street code involved with it. It's not a drug-dealer thing. You scared of this person. It's none of that with me. If it takes forever with me, I'm here in NYC to straighten it out. And I've been here for five years on it."

In 2002 one of the lead detectives on the case, Bernard Porter Jr. of the 103rd Precinct in Queens, said leads and information from the local community would be key in cracking the case. As the years went on, Porter complained that not many had come forth. He has since retired. The case is now in the reins of another detective, who was unavailable for comment.

One of the few concrete facts surrounding the murder was that two gunmen entered the studio to kill Mizell. In April, the Boston Herald reported that an unnamed witness fingered Ronald "Tinard" Washington as an accessory to the murder, an allegation that Washington denied. More recently, Allen has said his sister, Lydia High, told him of a tattoo on the neck of one of the killers.

Allen and High were in the studio the night of Mizell's murder, along with the DJ's friend Tony Rincon, who was shot in the leg during the attack. Allen maintains that he was in the studio booth when he heard the gunshots. When he came out, the killers were gone.

For full coverage of the Jam Master Jay case, see the Jam Master Jay Reports.

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