Before Run D.M.C, the most successful rap acts where groups like Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, Kurtis Blow and Whodini, wore outlandish, glam rock inspired outfits on stage, while their music sampled disco and funk. Run DMC's successful merging of heavy metal riffs and hip hop beats and street-inspired style brought rap music and hip hop culture to the mainstream, according to AllMusic.com.
The Kings From Queens
All three members of Run D.M.C--Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels and Jason Mizell--were born and raised in the New York suburbs of Hollis, Queens. The group got its official start when Simmons' brother Russell Simmons, along with business partner and music producer Rick Rubin, formed the record label Def Jam.
Simmons encouraged Joseph and his friend Darryl to form a group for the label. The two did soon after graduating, renaming themselves Run and D.M.C and eventually recruiting Mizell, who named himself Jam Master Jay.
"It's Like That," "Sucker MCs" and "Rock Box"
The group's first single "It's Like That," marked a defining moment in hip hop's history, according to HipHop.sh. 'It’s Like That' was compared as a grittier version of Afrika Bambaataa’s "Planet Rock" and with powerfully literate vocals it was a lyrical descendant of Melle Mel’s, "The Message" both of which were 1982’s impression of hip-hop," the site explains. The song was "the first "new school" hip-hop recording" according to AllMusic.com.
"It's Like That," as well as "Rock Box" and "30 Days" all became Top 20 R&B hits, setting the stage for the rappers' debut album, which simultaneously became the first rap album to go gold, to hit number one on the R&B chart and place in the top ten on the pop charts, according to HipHop.sh. They also became the first rap artists to have a video on MTV.
King of Rock, Raising Hell And Mainstream Success
Run D.M.C released their second album King of Rock in 1985. The album saw the group continuing to break musical boundaries on songs such like the title track, "Can You Rock It Like This" and "You Talk Too Much." The group also appeared in the movie Krush Groove released that same year.
Run D.M.C. truly catapulted to mainstream super stardom with the release of their third album, 1986's Raising Hell. The album became the most successful rap album at that time , shooting to number one and three on the R&B and pop charts and selling over three million copies, according to HipHop. sh. The album also produced the rap trio's most enduring song and collaboration, a remake of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" on which the band performed.
"Walk This Way" peaked at number four on the Billboard singles chart and stayed there for 16 weeks, becoming the first rap song to land in the top ten. Run D.M.C. were now the biggest rap group in the world, inspiring other rappers such as Public Enemy and Ice-T.
The group also set the pace for hip hop style. While previous rap acts had worn leather suits, sequins and cowboy outfits onstage, Run D.M.C. dressed in the street style of New York, which meant baggy track suits, black leather jackets, fedoras and unlaced Adidas sneakers. In a November 4, 2002 interview with MTV.com, D.M.C. credits Jam Master Jay for the group's trendsetting style.
""We got our style from Jam Master Jay ... Jam Master Jay used to wear the leather suit, the Godfather hat, the big gold chains ... Jay brought the whole Run-DMC, black leather, superhero, Batman and Robin look to us."
Decline, Down With The King And Run D.M.C.'s Legacy
Run D.M.C.'s popularity had begun to decrease by the late 1980s. The group's follow up, Tougher Than Leather went platinum but did not match the success of Raising Hell. New groups such as political rappers Public Enemy and hardcore rappers such as Ice-T had gained favor with hip hop fans, signaling a change.
The group's next release, Back From Hell, failed to go platinum, and in the ensuing years the group experienced personal issues, with McDaniels battling alcoholism and Simmons battling rape allegations, according to AllMusic.com. But they came back from the brink with1993's Down With The King, which went gold and featured appearances from Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest and KRS One.
However. the group suffered more tragedy with the murder of Jam Master Jay in October 2002 at a Queens recording studio. In the aftermath of Mizell's death both Simmons and McDaniels decided to disband Run D.M.C. Even though group is no more, their influence can be seen everywhere in both hip hop acts such as N.W.A, Boogie Down Productions and Salt-N-Pepa, as well as in rock acts such as Korn, Kid Rock and Linkin Park.
In the November 2002 interview with MTV.com, D.M.C felt confident about the group's place in music history. "You know, we did a lot for rap. We were the first on MTV, the first to go gold, the first to prove rappers could sell records ...We were representing everyone who came before us, Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Cold Crush, Afrika Bambaataa, Zulu Nation, and we represent everybody after us, Sean Combs, Jermaine Dupri, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube. We represent hip-hop."
Kevin Neil - Kevin Neil is a freelance writer and a graduate of Northwestern State University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in ...
