Last week, Scratch DJ Academy’s 10-Year Anniversary event celebrated the legacy of co-founder Jam Master Jay and honoring the achievements of DJ Kool Herc, DJ Q-Bert and DJ A-Trak through a special award presentation. The event included an exclusive performance from Darryl “D.MC.” McDaniels of world famous hip hop group Run DMC and special DJ performances by Grandwizzard Theodore, DJ Revolution, Mr Choc, DJ Dasmatic (TJ Mizell, Jam Master Jay’s son) and more.
The event marked co-founders Jam Master Jay (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002) and Rob Principe’s major milestone for the prestigious music academy, paralleled by the fervent growth of the DJ culture rising in the hearts and playlists of America. The event celebrated 10 years of Scratch DJ Academy and Jam Master Jay’s legacy at the Canal Room in New York City, and featured an exclusive performance by DMC of the world famous Run DMC. Guests learned about the history and evolution over the decade with meet-and-greets with Scratch DJ Academy executives.
Featuring multiple DJ sets and an award ceremony, the night was jam-packed with performances. Space was limited as the dance floor was filled with bodies the entire night. DJ QBert, DJ Kool Herc, and A-Trak accepted awards for their DJ successes and also treated guests to their respective sets, but the main focus of the evening was on honoring the legacy of the late Jam Master Jay. Co-founder of Scratch DJ Academy, Jay’s son and widow were in attendance and watched on as a video honoring Jay was shown to the crowd. Also present at the event was Jay’s former Run-D.M.C. founding member Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels. The hip hop icon treated the distinguished guests to a set featuring the group’s most iconic songs.
Run DMC’s Darryl McDaniels took the stage to perform his famous hits "It’s Tricky" and "Walk This Way," but started off with a hilarious, but heartfelt story about when his friend and Run DMC group member Jam Master Jay chose his stage name. Co-Founder and CEO Rob Principe gave a heartfelt speech in which he thanked Jam Master Jay’s son TJ Mizell and widow Terri Mizell for the last ten years of support before showing videos and a slideshow of the beginning launch of the academy and its evolution over the decade. A-Trak and TJ Mizell aka DJ Dasmatic shared a hug during the slideshow which honored the late Jam Master Jay along with the history of Scratch DJ Academy.
Since inception in New York City in 2002, Scratch DJ Academy opened additional locations in Los Angeles and Miami, and expanded its course offerings to include music production. Today, Scratch has taught over 500,000 people how to DJ and produce music from all 50 states, 35 different countries, and is widely recognized as the world leader in DJ and music production education. Scratch DJ Academy will open its 4th physical location in Chicago at the SAE Institute in February.
Additional reporting by Moshe Alpert-Eschbach
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