NEW YORK - Monday marked a major break in the high-profile cold case murder of Jason Mizell, better known as Jam Master Jay of the iconic hip hop group RUN DMC.

After nearly two decades, federal prosecutors have charged 36-year-old Karl Jordan Jr. and 56-year-old Ronald Washington with his murder.

“For the crime of murder, the passage of time offers you no escape,” said Seth Ducharme, acting United States Attorney of the Eastern District of New York.

The 10-count indictment alleges both men went inside Mizell’s recording studio in Hollis, Queens, on October 30 of 2002, armed with guns.

Prosecutors say Jordan was the trigger man, allegedly firing two shots at close range, one fatally striking Mizell in the head, the other bullet hitting another man in the leg.

Investigators say the two men conspired to kill the pioneering DJ in retaliation for a drug dispute over 10 kilograms of cocaine.

“They murdered him in cold blood,” added DuCharme.

A year before Jam Master Jay’s death, the group released their final album. They disbanded after his murder.

For investigators like NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison, solving the case was personal.

“Me being a native of Queens and being a big fan of RUN DMC and Jam Master Jay, making this arrest was very, very important to me."

205th Street in Hollis, Queens, where the group got its start, bares his name. Shrines have been painted across the neighborhood.

“DJs look up to him, rappers look up to him. It means everything,” said one local resident hanging out in front of the mural.

“When is comes to the culture of rap, when it comes to the culture of Queens, RUN DMC has always been a pioneer,” said another.

Jordan pleaded not guilty at his virtual arraignment Monday afternoon and is expected back in court on September 17.

Washington is in jail serving time for robbery and will be arraigned later this week.

If convicted, both men face twenty years to life in prison, with the possibility of the death penalty.