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.
