Founders

Rob Principe

In 2001, Rob Principe partnered with the great Jam Master Jay of Run-D.M.C. to bring his long held vision to life. If jazz can successfully be taught at every major university around the world, why isn’t the same done for the art form of the DJ? After all DJs are musicians and turntables are best selling instruments. It was this question and the ensuing tireless work that spawned the now famous Scratch DJ Academy. As founder and CEO, Rob is currently responsible for the company’s management and overall strategic direction. Prior to founding Scratch, Rob was an executive at several of the world’s largest media companies, including Sony and USA Networks, as well as stints at several successful startups. Since starting Scratch, Rob has been featured in dozens of major publicity outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, The New York Times, CNN, Today Show and many more. Rob is a graduate of Duke University, which he attended on a tennis scholarship.

Jam Master Jay

Jason Mizell (aka Jam Master Jay) was the legendary DJ for the influential hip-hop group Run-D.M.C. The group released a string of successful albums and hit singles and collaborated with Aerosmith on a remixed version of “Walk this Way” ─ pioneering a rap-rock fusion that persists through today. As a group, Run-D.MC. didn’t have guitarists, bassists or drummers. Jay was the band. Through his turntables, Jay created the majority of the sounds and effects for all their performances. During a generation when DJs were still largely underrepresented in mainstream music culture, Jay used his celebrity status to pioneer and establish the legitimacy of the DJ as a true musician. He was the first DJ to earn a gold album for Run-D.M.C.’s self-titled debut. In 1989, he even established his own record label JMJ Records. As Dean of Scratch DJ Academy, Jay was in charge of developing and teaching the class curriculum. On October 30, 2002, the world suffered a terrible loss when Jay was tragically murdered. His legacy and contributions will never be forgotten. In his memory, his family established the Jam Master Jay Foundation for Music, a non profit organization dedicated to providing funding and resources to support free public school music education programs.