BV Hero: Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell Esther Rolle
Born on Jan. 21, 1965, Jam Master Jay's contributions to hip-hop were significant. More street-oriented than the middle-class Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Jay lent the group the natural "street credibility" that record execs kill for and that gave Run-DMC its hardcore image. The fedoras that are instantly identifiable with the group -- and hustlers in the group's native Queens -- were from Jay's wardrobe (Russell Simmons decided the whole group should wear the hats after seeing Jay sport one).
It was Jay's influence over the hip-hop culture that earned him his hero status. Jay's use of rock records to make beats made Run-DMC's sound unique to everyone, from the boardroom to the block. Beyond simply being dope, the breaks he used on 'Rock Box' and 'Walk This Way' provided a brilliant vehicle for piping hip-hop into the mainstream.
Jay also played a key role in ushering in certain phases of hip-hop by introducing the world to the black baldhead-sporting crew known as Onyx, and signing 50 Cent to JMJ Records in 1996 (little resulted from that association before 50 moved on to work with the Trackmasters). On Oct. 30, 2002, Mizell was murdered in a Queens recording studio (the murder remains unsolved). At the BET Awards in 2003, legendary DJs Kid Capri, Jazzy Jeff, Grandmaster Flash and DJ Premier provided a moving tribute to Jay, each sporting black leather jackets, black shirts and black fedoras and putting forth a turntablist exhibition that spoke to the heart of any hip-hop fan.