Thousands mourn DJ Jam Master Jay

NEW YORK -- Run-DMC star Jam Master Jay, his killer still at large six days after he was shot in his recording studio, was mourned at his funeral Tuesday as "the embodiment of hip-hop." \nA fleet of white stretch limousines was parked outside the Allen A.M.E. Cathedral in Queens, the borough where the rapper, whose real name was Jason Mizell, first met up with his bandmates, Joseph "Run" Simmons and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels. \n"Jam Master Jay was not a thug," McDaniels told the overflow crowd inside the church. "Jam Master Jay was not a gangster. Jam Master Jay was a unique individual. … He was the embodiment of hip-hop." \nMcDaniels did a rap from the band's song "Jam Master Jay," with the whole audience joining in at the end to shout out the slain DJ's name. As McDaniels stood at the altar, he was surrounded by more than a dozen funeral wreaths — including one in the shape of twin turntables. \nAs the group's DJ, Jam Master Jay had worked the turntables as Simmons and McDaniels rapped a string of hits over nearly 20 years. \nAlong with the two bandmates, those attending the service included Simmons' brother, hip-hop entrepreneur Russell Simmons, and performers LL Cool J, Chuck D and Queen Latifah. \nOutside the church, dozens of fans and police officers mingled on the streets. Several of the fans sported the classic white Adidas sneakers that the band turned into a fashion statement. \nThe heavy police presence included officers on surrounding rooftops. \nFollowing the funeral, the 37-year-old rap DJ will be buried at a Westchester County cemetery. \nOn Monday night, thousands of fans lined up outside a funeral home where the wake was held. Detectives investigating the unsolved shooting scanned a crowd of tearful relatives, friends and fans. \n"I grew up listening to them," social worker Sharon Kline said. "I felt like it was important to pay respects." \nPolice reported little progress in their hunt for the masked gunman who fired a single .40-caliber bullet to Jay's head as he played video games Wednesday night in the lounge of his recording studio.