One of several unsolved hip-hop murders might be getting some closure. According to a report in the Boston Herald today, an unnamed witness has told police that a man has confessed to a role in the October 2002 murder of Run DMC DJ Jam Master Jay. The witness reportedly told police that Ronald "Tinard" Washington, 43, confessed to being an accessory to the murder of Jay--real name Jason Mizell, who was shot to death in his Queens, New York, studio on October 30, 2002 The reported breakthrough comes in one of several murder cases that have remained dormant for years, including the fatal shootings of and .
But in an odd twist, Washington also confessed to playing a role in the 1995 murder of Randy "Stretch" Walker, a close associate of late rapper Tupac Shakur. Walker was reportedly a witness to Shakur's shooting in Manhattan in 1994, two years before the rapper was fatally shot in Las Vegas. Anonymous law-enforcement sources told the Herald that Washington is expected to be named in the Walker and Jay cases when the federal government unveils a massive indictment soon, charging several rap artists in a number of violent acts as part of an ongoing federal investigation in New York into the link between hip-hop and violent crime.
The unsolved 1997 drive-by murder of the Notorious B.I.G.
in Los Angeles is also being investigated as part of that probe. "They want to blame me for all the blood in rap," Washington told the paper. "They are trying to pen me up for these murders.
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It's all lies. She's [the unnamed witness] telling them that I was mad at Jay because he [was] doing better than I am, that I killed Stretch because he owed me something and I wanted it. She is making up lies because they threatened to deport her.
" More than any other hip-hop group, Run-D.M.C.
are responsible for the sound and style of the music. As the first hardcore rap outfit, the trio set the sound and style for the next decade of rap. With their spare beats and excursions into heavy metal samples, the trio were tougher and more menacing than their predecessors Grandmaster Flash and.
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After a star reaches a certain point, it's easy to forget what they became famous for and concentrate solely on their persona.
Madonna is such a star. Madonna rocketed to stardom so quickly in 1984 that it obscured most of her musical virtues. Appreciating her music became even more difficult as the decade wore on, as discussing her lifestyle.
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Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band.
It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues -- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. They rarely gave interviews, since the music press.
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Issaquah, WA, indie rock trio Modest Mouse was formed in 1993 by vocalist/guitarist Isaac Brock, bassist Eric Judy, and drummer Jeremiah Green.
After honing their muscular sound in "The Shed" -- a makeshift practice space built by Brock on the land next to his mother's trailer -- Modest Mouse entered Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios to cut...
While his tenure as the frontman for the legendary Roxy Music remained his towering achievement, singer Bryan Ferry also carved out a successful solo career which continued in the lush, sophisticated manner perfected on the group's final records. Born September 26, 1945 in Washington, England, Ferry, the son of a coal miner, began his musical..
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Ferry has proved to be as interested in covering other artists' material as penning original songs, and he straddles a smart mix of originals and covers here. Two brilliant Bob Dylan songs appear among the opening tracks: "It's All Over Now Baby Blue" sees a..
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