In the wake of the murder of Run-DMC's Jam Master Jay, the two surviving members of the pioneering hip-hop group are hanging up their Adidas for good. ''Run-DMC is officially retired,'' rapper Run said in a Manhattan press conference held Wednesday, according to the group's publicity firm. ''We started together, and we want the Run-DMC legacy to always reflect the three of us together.''
He added that the group will no longer record, and will have to pull out of planned tour dates with Aerosmith and Kid Rock, as well as cancel a commercial deal Dr. Pepper. The Hollis, Queens, threesome -- which also included rapper DMC -- released their self-titled first album in 1984; 2001's rock-tinged ''Crown Royal'' now stands as their final CD.
In the same press conference, Def Jam cofounder Russell Simmons said that Eminem, Dr. Dre, Kid Rock, and Aerosmith had all donated money to aid Jam Master Jay's family and to assist in the investigation of the deejay's murder. Among the other donors were the Beastie Boys' Ad-Rock, Busta Rhymes, and Sean ''P. Diddy'' Combs, according to DMC's PR firm. ''Jam Master Jay was a good and decent person and a great DJ,'' Combs said at the press conference. ''I consider him a mentor.''
Police have yet to announce a suspect in the death of Jam Master Jay (born Jason Mizell), who was shot last week in a Queens recording studio. He was 37 years old.
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