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Jam Master Jay’s Death was part of the unsolved murders of rappers like Biggie and 2pac. Hip-hop news reports were baffled at finding the killer. The 1980s were a tough time for Americans in general. Reaganomics was among us. Ronald Reagan’s politics weren’t making everyone in the 80’s rich. The drug era was slowly growing in popularity. Big-time d boys like Rick Ross, Michael Harry O Harris, Raymond Edmond III, and other black kingpins were pushing drugs all across the country. Ronald Reagan, George Bush Sr., and Bill Clinton pushed their War On Drugs campaign through the 80s and 90s. Crack entered the US through a backdoor with the help of the Government. The 80s was the height of the crack epidemic for all Americans. But it hit harder in the black community than in any other community.
This set the stage for the zero-tolerance policies implemented in the mid-to-late 1980s. Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, who believed that “casual drug users should be taken out and shot,” – Brief History of the Drug War
Jam Master Jay’s Death was intertwined with the drug game. Hip-hop and drugs were becoming as American as Apple pie. And hip-hop news outlets started to glorify rappers and the dope game.
Jam Master Jay’s Death Was Related To The Dope Game
As the Dope Game in the streets grew hip hop grew in the streets, as well. Drug dealers and Rappers started to intermingle. Many street cats like Haitian Jack who allegedly shot 2pac, Big U, and Debra Antney were the real-life characters who brought the
Rap Game to life. In the early 80s rap was diverse. Groups like Run DMC, KRS-1, LL Cool J, Nas, Jay Z, Brand Nubian, Digital Underground, Heavy D, Salt-N-Peppa, and others gave rap that balance.
Once the D-Boys and D-Girls entered into the game it took a harsher turn. Schoolly D, Ice T, Too Short, Biggie Smalls, Ghetto Boys, and NWA took the game in the direction of the streets. They painted an ugly picture of America that many were not ready to embrace.
Corporate record labels at this time weren’t trying to hear shit coming out of the streets. However, businessmen like Eazy E, Russell Simmons, J Prince, and Tony Draper started their own labels to push their artists into the mainstream. Drugs and Rap were now a sexy couple. A lot of labels were funded by drug money. Labels like Ruthless Records, Suave House, No Limit, Rap-A-Lot Records, and Death Row were funded by drug money. Kingpin Micheal (Harry O’) Harris helped to fund Death Row Records. Suge Knight would have never gotten Death Row off the ground without Harry O’s money. Easy E used his drug money to fund Ruthless Records while working alongside Jerry Hella.
Dope Boys who wanted to make their money clean, started a record label, as a means to clean up their drug activity. Finding the perfect artist was a recipe for success; Artists like Ice Cube, Scarface, and Ice T had street lyrics that made for a perfect marriage.
Rappers were Getting Shitty Deals
Rappers who signed contracts were getting shitty deals. Money in the late 80s was not flowing like it is today. So, you were liable to get a contract that took all your publishing, with very little advance money. As a result, many rappers, DJ’s, and managers, were forced to find other means to make ends meet. And selling drugs was one way of doing that to feed your family.
In walks Jam Master Jay, who was a DJ for one of the biggest rap groups in the 80s, Run DMC. Run DMC was the epitome of what a rap group should be they had style, swag, and lyrics that made the group a global phenomenon. They were signed to Russell Simmons Rush Management Group at the time. But, throughout their careers, they had deals with Def Jam, Profile, Arista, and BMG. Hip-Hop news reported that rappers in the ’80’s weren’t making any real money.
According to reports, Jam Master Jay took it upon himself to make a little side money by selling drugs. While the biggest rap group in the world was touring, Jam Master Jay was moving a little weight, allegedly. He and some of his cronies were involved in several drug transactions which eventually led to Jam Master Jay’s death. Jam Master Jay was murdered in 2002. There has been so much speculation around his death. Thankfully, they did find the killers, who killed Jay last year. Drugs, dope dealing, and rapping have become a staple in the American lexicon of music. Today, it’s almost impossible not to hear a rapper talk about the drugs he sold. The rap game took a dark path and never turned back.
Conclusion
Drug Dealers and rappers don’t mix. In the early days of hip-hop, many rappers were broke and trying to make ends meet. Selling drugs was the alternative to help put food on the table. Folks got caught, went to jail, and died in the process of trying to get their fame and fortune. Jam Master Jay’s death is just one example of a story in hip-hop that ended badly. If corporate record labels, weren’t giving out bad deals, many artists would have never had to sell drugs to survive. If artists got to keep their publishing rights things may have been different, as well.
The Rap Game ain’t never been the same since the dope boy got involved.
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