Run-D.M.C.
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| Run-D.M.C. | |
|---|---|
 From left to right, Run, Jam-Master Jay and D.M.C.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Queens, New York, USA |
| Genre(s) | East Coast Rap Hip hop Rapcore |
| Years active | 1983 – 2002 |
| Label(s) | Profile |
| Associated acts | Beastie Boys LL Cool J Aerosmith |
| Website | Official RunDMC website rundmcmusic.com DMC |
| Former members | |
| Run D.M.C. Jam-Master Jay (deceased) |
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Run-D.M.C. was a pioneering hip hop group during the 1980s founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell. The group had an impact on the development of hip hop through the 1980s and is credited with breaking hip hop into mainstream music.[1][2] In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them number 48 in their list of the greatest ever musical artists of all time.[2] The three members of Run-D.M.C. grew up in the neighborhood of Hollis in the New York City borough of Queens, USA.[2]
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[edit] Mainstream success
The 1988 album Tougher Than Leather lent its name to the band's concert film that year, which was directed by Rick Rubin and contained special guest performances by the Beastie Boys and Slick Rick. Run-D.M.C.'s executives at Profile Records were unimpressed[citation needed] by the excessive number of times the Def Jam Records logo popped up in the film, which was mostly because of Russell Simmons' involvement with the project.
In the late 1980s, Run was accused of rape, though not charged, and the early stages of DMC's vocal-cord problems began. The group re-invented itself as born again Christians and released Back From Hell in 1990. The album suffered poor sales.[citation needed] It had two singles, the clean, anti-drug song "Pause", and "The Avenue".
The group enjoyed mainstream success again in 1993 with Down With the King, which cracked Billboard magazine's Top 10. Pete Rock and CL Smooth contributed verses on the first single, "Down With the King". The album's second single, "Ooh, Watch'cha Gonna Do?", failed to match its predecessor's chart success. Other guests featured on the album were Mad Lion, Q-Tip and Tom Morello.
In 1998, Jason Nevins remixed It's Like That and It's Tricky. The remix of It's Like That hit number 1 in the United Kingdom, Germany, and many other European countries. A video was made for It's Like That, although no new footage of Run-D.M.C. appeared in the clip.
In 1999, Run-D.M.C. recorded the theme song for WWE wrestling stable D-Generation X entitled "The Kings".
Although Run-D.M.C. enjoyed plenty of commercial success, the effects of this were not solely positive. In Arts and Letters: An A-to-Z Reference of Writers, Musicians, and Artists of the African American Experience, the article on Run-D.M.C. notes that in 1985, when their second album, King of Rock was released in 1985, there were also a number of violent incidents at rap concerts. While the media lauded Run-D.M.C. for their music, it also began to focus on "rap as a reflection of violence and drug abuse among young black males." Thus, the group felt torn between their mainstream appeal during the time of negativity in other manifestations of rap music.
D.M.C. is featured in the video game Guitar Hero: Aerosmith singing the group's singles "King of Rock" and "Walk This Way".
[edit] Firsts
Run-D.M.C. is the first rap act to have reached a number of major accomplishments:
- A #1 R&B charting rap album
- Top 10 pop charting rap album
- RIAA gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums
- Appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine
- Grammy Award nomination
- Video appearance on MTV
- Signed to an athletic product endorsement deal (Adidas)
Run-D.M.C. was also the only rap act to perform at Live Aid in 1985.
They were also greatly influenced by the old rock and roll sounds of Elvis Presley and The Beatles.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album information |
|---|
Run-D.M.C.
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King of Rock
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Raising Hell
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Tougher Than Leather
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Back From Hell
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Down With the King
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Crown Royal
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[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | "It's Like That" | - | 1 |
| 1984 | "30 Days" | - | 1 |
| "Hard Times" | - | 1 | |
| "Hollis Crew (Krush Groove 2)" | - | 1 | |
| 1985 | "Can You Rock It Like This" | - | 1 |
| "Jam-Master Jammin'" | - | 1 | |
| "King of Rock" | - | 14 | |
| "You Talk Too Much" | - | 1 | |
| 1986 | "My Adidas" | 4 | 1 |
| "Walk This Way" (feat. Aerosmith) | 4 | 8 | |
| "You Be Illin'" | 3 | 12 | |
| 1987 | "It's Tricky" | 3 | 2 |
| 1988 | "I'm Not Going Out Like That" | - | 40 |
| "Mary, Mary" | 75 | 29 | |
| "Run's House" | - | 10 | |
| 1989 | "Pause" | - | 51 |
| 1990 | "What's It All About" | - | 24 |
| 1991 | "Faces" | - | 57 |
| 1993 | "Down with the King" | 21 | 9 |
| "Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do" | - | 78 |
[edit] Greatest Hits Albums
- Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983–1991 (1991) (Profile Records)
- High Profile: The Original Rhymes (2002) (Profile Records)
- Greatest Hits (2002) (Profile Records)
- The Best of Run-D.M.C. (2003) (Profile Records)
- Ultimate Run-D.M.C. (2003) (Profile Records)
- Artist Collection: Run-D.M.C. (2004) (Arista Records)
- Live At Montreux 2001 (2007) (Eagle Records)
[edit] Other Singles & Compilation Albums
- Christmas In Hollis appeared on A Very Special Christmas (1987) (A&M Records)
[edit] Retirement
After group member Jam-Master Jay died in 2002, Run-D.M.C. announced their retirement.
[edit] References
- ^ (nr.40) The Guardian
- ^ a b c The Immortals - The Greatest Artists of All Time: 48) Run-DMC. Rolling Stone. Published Apr 15, 2004.
2. Appiah, Kwame Anthony and Gates Jr., Henry Louis. Arts and Letters: An A-to-Z Reference of Writers, Musicians, and Artists of the African American Experience. Running Press: Philadelphia: 2004.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- RunDMC.com The Official Run-D.M.C. Website
- The Run-D.M.C. Website
- Run-D.M.C. at Discogs
- Official Site of DMC
- Jam-Master Jay, 1965–2002 - Harry Allen The Media Assassin reflects on the passing of JMJ and the impact of Run-D.M.C.
- Check out Plum's interview with DMC's Action in Africa performance in Aspen
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