Run-DMC Announces Its Retirement From Music

NEW YORK (RUN DMC Fans Website) - On the heels of the murder of its DJ, Jason Mizell (Jam Master Jay), on Oct. 30, groundbreaking hip-hop group Run-DMC has announced its retirement.

"Some rock bands can replace the drummer," said Rev. Joseph "Run" Simmons at a press conference to announce the formation of a coalition to help the surviving members of Mizell's family at the Rihga Royal Hotel in New York on Wednesday (Nov. 6). "I don't know any other way but to be the three original members. As a tribute to the positive legacy of Jam Master Jay, we started together and we want the Run-DMC legacy to always reflect the three of us together."

P. Diddy, Busta Rhymes, the Beastie Boys' Adam Horowitz, Doug E. Fresh, Salt-N-Pepa's Spinderella, and Public Enemy's Chuck D were among those in attendance at the conference. "Jam Master Jay was a good and decent person, a great DJ, and I consider him a mentor," said P. Diddy on the coalition. "I want to lend my support to his wife Terri, and reinforce that the hip-hip community has come together in a show of unity."

Due to the group's retirement from touring and recording, Run-DMC's Crown Royal, released in 2001, will be the band's studio curtain call, barring any unreleased tracks from the vaults. Elsewhere in its catalog, the group's Greatest Hits, released Sept. 10 on BMG Heritage, saw a 427 percent increase in sales following the death of Mizell, causing it to jump onto The US Albums at No. 117.
The album includes all of the trio's classic hip-hop anthems, including "King of Rock," "My Adidas," and "Walk This Way," among others.

Meanwhile, as of Wednesday, there were still no arrests made in the murder of Mizell, who was gunned down inside a recording studio in Queens. The legendary DJ was laid to rest on Tuesday (Nov. 5) after a funeral attended by many of his hip-hop contemporaries, including Chuck D and LL Cool J.