Run-DMC
Run-DMC was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip-hop culture and especially one of the most famous hip-hop acts of the 1980s. Along with Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, and Public Enemy, the group pioneered new-school hip-hop music and helped usher in golden age hip-hop. The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship.
With the release of Run-D.M.C., Run-DMC became the first hip-hop group to achieve a Gold record. Run-D.M.C. was followed with the certified Platinum record King of Rock, making Run-DMC the first hip-hop group to go platinum. Raising Hell became the first multi-platinum hip-hop record. Run-DMC's cover of "Walk This Way", featuring the group Aerosmith, charted higher on the Billboard Hot 100 than Aerosmith's original version, peaking at number four. It became one of the best-known songs in both hip-hop and rock. Run-DMC was the first hip-hop act to have their music videos broadcast on MTV, appear on American Bandstand, be on the cover of Rolling Stone, perform at Live Aid, and be nominated for a Grammy Award.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Run-DMC at number 48 in its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2007, they were named The Greatest Hip-Hop Group of All Time by MTV and Greatest Hip-Hop Artist of All Time by VH1. In 2009, Run-DMC became the second hip-hop group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2016, the group received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, Raising Hell was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
History
Early career
The three members of Run-DMC grew up in Hollis, Queens. As a teenager, Joseph Simmons was recruited into hip-hop by his older brother, Russell, who was then an up-and-coming hip-hop promoter. Simmons appeared onstage as a DJ for solo rapper Kurtis Blow, who was managed by Russell. Known as "DJ Run, Son of Kurtis Blow", Simmons soon began performing with Blow. Previously, McDaniels had been more focused on athletics than music, but soon began to DJ after purchasing a set of turntables. Simmons convinced McDaniels to start rapping, and though McDaniels would not perform in public, he soon began writing rhymes and was known as "Easy D".Simmons and McDaniels started hanging around Two-Fifths Park in Hollis in the late 1970s, hoping to rap for the local DJs who performed and competed there; the most popular one known to frequent the park was Jason Mizell, then known as "Jazzy Jase". Mizell was known for his flashy wardrobe and b-boy attitude, which led to minor legal troubles as a teen. Thereafter, he decided to pursue music fame and began entertaining in the park soon after. Eventually, Simmons and McDaniels rapped in front of Mizell at the park, and the three became friends. Following Russell's success managing Kurtis Blow, he helped Run record his first single, a song called "Street Kid". The song went unnoticed, but despite the single's failure, Run's enthusiasm for hip-hop was growing. Simmons soon wanted to record again—-this time with McDaniels, but Russell refused, citing a dislike for D's rhyming style. After they graduated from high school and started college in 1982, Simmons and McDaniels finally convinced Russell to let them record as a duo, and they recruited Mizell to be their official DJ. The following year, in 1983, Russell agreed to help them record a new single and land a record deal, and marketed the group as "Run-D.M.C.", a name that the group hated at first. DMC said later, "We wanted to be the Dynamic Two, the Treacherous Two — when we heard that shit we was like, 'We're gonna be ruined!
The group's name used Joseph Simmons's DJ name, DJ Run. It was combined with several letters from Darryl McDaniel's name.
After signing with Profile Records, Run-DMC released their debut single "It's Like That/Sucker MCs" in late 1983. The single was well received, peaking at No. 15 on the R&B charts. The trio performed the single on the New York Hot Tracks video show in 1983. Emboldened by their success, Run-DMC released their eponymous debut album Run-D.M.C. in 1984. Hit singles such as "Jam-Master Jay" and "Hard Times" proved that the group were more than a one-hit wonder, and the landmark single "Rock Box" was a groundbreaking fusion of raw hip-hop and hard rock that would become a cornerstone of the group's sound and paved the way for the rap rock-subgenre movement of the 1990s.
Run-DMC's swift ascension to the forefront of rap with a new sound and style meant that old-school hip-hop artists were becoming outdated. Along with pushing rap into a new direction musically, Run-DMC changed the entire aesthetic of hip-hop music and culture. Old school rappers like Afrika Bambaataa and Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five tended to dress in the flashy attire that was commonly attributed to glam rock and disco acts of the era: tight leather, chest-baring shirts, gloves and hats with rhinestones and spikes, leather boots, etc. Run-DMC discarded the more glam aspects of early hip-hop fashion and incorporated a more "street" sense of style such as Kangol hats, Cazal glasses, leather jackets, and unlaced Adidas shoes. The group's look had been heavily influenced by Mizell's own personal style. When Russell Simmons saw Jay's flashy, yet street b-boy style; he insisted the entire group follow suit. Run said later:
That embrace of the look and style of the street would define the next 25 years of hip-hop fashion.
Despite not receiving as much recognition as McDaniels and Simmons, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell had greater behind-the-scenes influence with Run-DMC than widely assumed, and gave the group their street credential image. Mizell, who discovered 50 Cent, has also been credited with taking the hip hop genre to a wider worldwide audience. Mizell in fact developed the sound on most Run-DMC songs, with The Guardian describing him in 2012 as being the Run-DMC member who "created almost every sound that Run and DMC would rap over."
''King of Rock'', ''Raising Hell'' and mainstream success
After the success of their first album, Run-DMC looked to branch out on their follow-up. The release of King of Rock in 1985 saw the group furthering their rap rock fusion on songs like "Can You Rock It Like This" and the title track; while "Roots, Rap, Reggae" was one of the first rap/dancehall hybrids. The music video for the single "Rock Box" was the first ever hip-hop music video to be broadcast on MTV and received heavy rotation from the channel. The song was the group's most popular hit at that point and the album was certified platinum. Run-DMC performed at the legendary Live Aid benefit shortly after Rock Box was released.In late-1985, Run-DMC were featured in the hip-hop film Krush Groove, a fictionalized retelling of Russell Simmons' rise as a hip-hop entrepreneur and his struggles to get his own label, Def Jam Recordings, off the ground. The film featured a young Blair Underwood as Russell, along with appearances by old-school legend Kurtis Blow, the Fat Boys, teen pop act New Edition, LL Cool J, Prince protegee Sheila E., and hip-hop's first successful White rap group, the Beastie Boys, who were signed to Simmons' Def Jam label. The film was a hit in cinemas and was further proof of hip-hop's continued mainstream visibility.
Returning to the studio in 1986, the group teamed with producer Rick Rubin for their third album. Rubin had just produced LL Cool J's debut album Radio. They later released their third album, titled Raising Hell, which became the group's most successful album and one of the best-selling rap albums of all time. The album was certified double-platinum and peaked at number three on the charts.
They were almost done with the album, but Rubin thought that it needed an element that would appeal to rock fans as well. This spurred the lead single "Walk This Way", a collaboration with the group Aerosmith, who years earlier had done their original version of the classic hard rock song on their album Toys in the Attic. The original intention was to just rap over a sample of the song, but Rubin and Jay insisted on doing a complete cover version. Members of the group Aerosmith were called to join Run-DMC in the studio to add their vocals and guitars. The song and video became one of the biggest hits of the 1980s, reaching No. 4 on the Hot 100, and cemented Run-DMC's crossover status. It also resurrected Aerosmith's career. The single "My Adidas" led to the group signing a $1,600,000 endorsement deal with athletic apparel brand Adidas. Adidas formed a long-term relationship with Run-DMC and hip-hop. This has been described as the "beginning of what we have come to know as hip-hop fashion".
The success of Raising Hell is often credited with kick-starting hip-hop's golden age, when rap music's visibility, variety, and commercial viability exploded onto the national stage and became a global phenomenon. Their success paved the way for acts like LL Cool J and the Beastie Boys. The group toured in the wake of the album's success, but the Raising Hell Tour was marred by violence, particularly fights between rival street gangs in places like Los Angeles. Though Run-DMC's lyrics had been angry, confrontational and aggressive, they typically denounced crime and ignorance, but the media began to blame the group for the incidents. In the wake of the violence, Run-DMC would call for a day of peace between the gangs in Los Angeles.
In 1987, following on from the Raising Hell Tour, Run-DMC embarked on the Together Forever Tour with the Beastie Boys.