Publisher's Synopsis
This book examines the rise of JAM MASTER JAY, from high school to his ascent as a member of Run DMC. It also tells the story of the rise of hip-hop, intertwined with Jay's career. Through interviews with the surviving members of Run DMC, executives at Def Jam Records, Jay's wife and mother, neighborhood figures, teachers and recording industry associates, it traces his remarkable path-as a high school drop-out who did a stint in the juvenile penal system, to his glory days touring the world, to the group's breakup in the 1990's and their resurgence. The texture of his life - his easygoing style, his allegiance to his neighbourhood, his disbelief at his own good fortune, is reconstructed through interviews with his intimates.
The story ends with the mystery of his murder - what happened, what the evidence shows, the theories from the police and from the street, and where he might have gone in his fast, fruitful life. JAM MASTER JAY had few enemies. And as the throngs that appeared on the rain-soaked streets in the hours after his killing show, he was as loved locally as he was internationally. The man and the celebrity were true and indistinguishable.
