A wall of silence is hampering detectives probing the execution-style slaying of Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay, cops and rap-industry sources said yesterday.
Jay’s protégé – rapper 50 Cent – was uncooperative when Philadelphia police found him and his posse early Monday with guns and bulletproof vests, a source said.
Then, a possible witness didn’t show up for an appointment with police on Monday, and his attorney said he would not cooperate because anonymous cops said he feuded with Jay.
“A lot of people are silent in the community,” rap mogul Russell Simmons said. “The police department is not at fault.”
Simmons spoke at a star-studded press conference yesterday to announce the formation of a fund to support the family of Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell. The group also announced a $50,000 reward to help bring the killer to justice.
“We’re here today, united in the hip-hop community, to lift up the positive legacy of Jam Master Jay,” said Benjamin Chavis of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.
Simmons, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Busta Rhymes, Foxy Brown, Spinderella of Salt ‘n’ Pepa, Chuck D and other rap celebrities flanked the Mizell’s widow, Terri, offering support.
Mizell, 37, was gunned down in his Queens studio Oct. 30.
With Post Wire Services