Less than a month ago, Karl Jordan Jr. and Ronald Washington were convicted of murdering RUN-DMC legend Jason Mizell, better known as DJ Jam Master Jay.
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Both men were charged with murder while engaged in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy and firearm-related murder, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. They face 20 years to life in prison.
Although Jam Master Jay’s killers were brought to justice, the trial revealed some shocking details about the beloved Queens disc jockey, including that he sold drugs due to his financial struggles.
Now after years of waiting for closure on their father’s death, his two sons, TJ and Jesse Mizell, spoke to CBS New York to share their feelings about the details that came out about him during his murder trial.
“Like, this person wasn’t even that far from us the whole time,” TJ said when asked how they feel about the convicted men being the godson and friend of their father.
He continued, “I saw him not that long ago at a party, and interestingly, they came up to me and was like, ‘Oh, just want you to know, I had nothing to do with that.’ He saw the look on our face — ‘cause Jesse was with me — he saw the look on our face. And we’re like, ‘What are you talking about?’ You know, and he realized that we didn’t know what the word on the street was.”
The two sons were also asked about the claims that their father sold drugs due to his financial struggles: “’Jam Master Jay dies from a drug deal gone wrong.’ That’s a little difficult reading. But for us, we know, you know, what my father stood for,” Jesse said.
“We strongly believe that that’s false,” TJ added. “Like, we believe that there, obviously, that there was money involved, and whether that was his money or not. It’s not like he’s selling drugs, you know. So we really feel like it was like his money being taken and being used to do other things.”
Indeed, Jay didn’t exactly sell drugs: He was considered a drug middleman, acting as the connection between cocaine suppliers and street sellers, per the New York Times.
Though their father is gone, the brothers work to positively bolster his legacy. According to CBS New York, TJ and Jesse founded a cannabis business that honors their father’s love of marijuana.
They are also still connected to New York’s Scratch DJ Academy, a disc jockey school co-founded by DJ Jam Master Jay.
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