ReMastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay?

The narrative of this film is just full of contradictions. From the beginning until the end, it is pushed that the reason that this crime (and others) are unsolved is because the police do not care, because they are black. Yet, the film also pushes the narrative that the police want any reason to lock up black people. The film only spends one line talking about how witnesses and the community don't want to "snitch". The people who do eventually talk, all give conflicting information. Also, they try to claim the police could just look at cameras in the area and zoom in at the license plate. This was 2002. It isn't like every building has HD cameras like it does today. The film ends with the conclusion that police don't care about solving murders of black rappers, when just recently XXXTentacion and Nipsey Hussle's killers were caught. Too much assuming and conspiracy against the police department, and not much new information on who actually murdered Jam Master Jay.

Just watched "Remastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay?" and boy, oh boy, it's the cinematic equivalent of a shrug. I mean, it's alright. You won't want your time back, but you might keep checking how much longer it's got. The doc tries to untangle the tragic murder of the hip-hop icon, which should be as gripping as your grandma's best cliffhanger stories, but it lands more like she forgot the ending mid-sentence.

What the film gets right are the basics-there's some solid interviews, cool archival footage, and a peek into the gritty streets of 1980s New York, which is about as immersive as dipping your toes in the shallow end of a pool. It scratches the surface of a fascinating story, but then it's like the filmmakers decided to take a nap halfway through. You keep waiting for that big revelation or some zesty detective work, but it ends up with the investigative gusto of a toddler distracted by a shiny object.

So, "Remastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay?" is okay. It's like that plain vanilla ice cream you eat-not because it's your favorite, but because it's the only flavor left in the freezer. If you're a hardcore fan of the genre or the man, you'll find enough to keep you stuck to your seat. For everyone else, it's a decent way to kill some time, assuming you've already reorganized your sock drawer and are out of paint to watch dry.

I've watched almost every other episode of Netflix's "Remastered" music documentaries and mostly enjoyed them, partly because they concerned times and artists to which I could relate. This show, however, was very much the exception for me.

I never have and still don't listen to rap or hip-hop music so the first thing I have to say is that this man's name meant nothing to me. Yes, I'd heard of Run DMC but only through their collaboration with Aerosmith on the hit single "Walk This Way" which was all I knew. As is typical of a programme like this, it starts with a background profile of Jay, with many individuals stating his importance in music and I'm in no position to argue.

He was shot and killed at a small studio he owned in New York and yet his murder remains unsolved, I believe, to this day, which as someone says, seems strange considering the studio was right in the middle of a busy neighbourhood, there were five other people there when it happened and there were supposedly working security cameras in and around the studio. And yet two men were buzzed admittance upstairs into the studio, drew a gun on the female receptionist and then one of them shot and killed Jay at point-blank range. The point is made that the unsolved nature of this case is shared with the killings of other rappers including the prominent Notorious B. I. G. And Tupac Shakur.

Several individuals contribute their opinions to camera and more than one name for the killer is put forward but still no one has been charged for the crime. Jay himself appears to have been a loving son, husband, father and brother and likewise a generous friend to those around him. Other more contradictory claims are made, like he had money problems or was involved in drug-dealing, but in the end, his case remains open and unresolved. Wider social points are made, criticising the police handling of the case, remembering this was made before the Black Lives Matter movement highlighted this issue further.

I must admit though as a viewer, that I found it difficult to really engage with the show, probably down to there being just too many interviewees spouting too many conflicting viewpoints. It also seemed strange to me that the producers couldn't get an interview with the studio receptionist who saw the whole thing or carry out any interview with Jay's surviving wife or children. The show just appeared to lack depth with nothing demonstrating this better than the very low-budget way the producers used children's dolls in their supposed reconstruction of the actual crime.

For his family's sake, I hope they do eventually catch the perpetrator of this cowardly crime and who knows, maybe the making of this programme, flawed as it was, might give fresh publicity to the investigation and drive out the guilty party.

This is a very good documentary. I really enjoyed it. It is 2024 and the case has finally been solved, so some of the theories are very interesting to see and it was very interesting too see one of the theories and people that was originally suspected actually turned out to be the murdered of Jam Master Jay. Overall very sad story for all the families involved. When someon3 commits a murder, nobody wins. It's just sad. The victim loses their life and the murderer does too because they go to jail and the family loses of both loses because their loved ones are no longer here. This is a good documentary to watch over the death of this hip hop legend.

This was an interesting documentary. How does a murder go unsolved with the amount of witnesses at the scene? Sad to see someone who helped his community life end at a young age, by people he possibly knew.