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Run-D.M.C.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 From left to right, DJ Run, Jam Master Jay and D.M.C.
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Queens, New York, USA |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop Rock |
| Years active | 1983 – 2002 |
| Label(s) | Profile |
| Associated acts |
The Afros Aerosmith Beastie Boys LL Cool J |
| Website | rundmcmusic.com DMC |
| Former members | |
| DJ 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 "Rev 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] The three members of Run-D.M.C. grew up in the neighborhood of Hollis in the New York City borough of Queens, USA.
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The band signed a record deal with Profile Records in 1983, and Run's older brother, Russell Simmons, A.K.A. "Russell Rush", signed Run-D.M.C. to his newly formed management company Rush Productions that same year. On their first major United States U.S. tour, the group set new Fad trends by performing dressed in tight leather pants and jackets, Adidas Sneaker, and Fedora hats.
Its mainstream success continued as the group performed at the famous US Live Aid concert in 1985, and their 1986 album Raising Hell became the highest-selling rap album in history (this record was later broken as rap gained more popularity with such artists as Notorious B.I.G), reaching number 6 on the Billboard album charts and selling over 3 million copies. The album featured the famous cover version of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way", a rap-rock collaboration performed with Aerosmith members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. The song was the first hip-hop track to make the Top 10 on Billboard's singles charts. "Walk This Way" has been attributed to being the first song to make hip hop mainstream due to its frequent airings on MTV.
"It's Like That" and "Sucker MC's" (1983) were among the first hip hop tracks that relied only on electronic beats, an approach pioneered by "Godfather of Hip-Hop" Afrika Bambaataa on tracks such as "Planet Rock". Run-DMC became the first rap act with a platinum album and multi-platinum album, as well as the first rappers to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and to receive a Grammy nomination. They were also only the second rap act to appear on American Bandstand, the first being The Sugarhill Gang in 1980. Contrary to popular belief, they were not the first rap act to appear on Saturday Night Live. That distinction belongs to the rap group Funky Four Plus One, who appeared on February 14, 1981. Run-DMC also appeared at WrestleMania V in 1989 to perform the "WrestleMania Rap." In the same year, the song "Ghostbusters", performed by the group and written by Ray Parker Jr., was featured in the movie Ghostbusters 2.
The accomplishments of Run-DMC are unparalleled:
• The first rap act to have a #1 R&B charting rap album
• The first rap act to have a Top 10 pop charting rap album
• The first rap act to earn RIAA gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums
• The first rap act to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine
• The first rap act to receive a Grammy Award nomination
• The first rap act to have a video added to MTV
• The first rap act to win crossover appeal with rock and hip-hop fans
• The only rap act to perform at Live Aid in 1985
• AND the first rap act signed to an athletic product endorsement deal (Adidas)
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-DMC's executives at Profile Records were unimpressed[citation needed] by the excessive amount 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 begun. 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-DMC appeared in the clip.
In 1999, Run-DMC recorded the theme song for WWF wrestling stable D-Generation X entitled "The Kings".
On October 30th 2002, an affidavit reported Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff--a New York drug lord--was suspected of being involved in the murder of Jam Master Jay and the shooting of 50 Cent. An excerpt of the affidavit reads:
| “ | The investigation has uncovered a conspiracy involving McGriff and others to murder a rap artist who has released songs containing lyrics regarding McGriff's criminal activities. The rap artist was shot in 2000, survived and thereafter refused to cooperate with law enforcement regarding the shooting. Messages transmitted over the Murder Inc. pager indicate that McGriff is involved in an ongoing plot to kill this rap artist, and that he communicates with Murder Inc. employees concerning the target. | ” |
In an interview with Grandslam Magazine in November 2002, Run said, "No one will want to see Run-DMC without Jam Master Jay. Run-DMC is officially retired."
Prior to Jay's murder, the group had filmed a Dr Pepper television commercial with protégé LL Cool J. When the commercial aired in the winter of 2003, a dedication to Jam Master Jay was appended to the initial airings of the commercial. Run DMC still made a final song in dedication to Jam Master Jay called "Live Life 2 da Fullest"
Run recently completed his first solo album, titled Distortion. The first single from the album, "Mind On the Road", is featured in EA Sports Madden NFL 2006. Run also starred, along with his family, in the MTV reality-sitcom Run's House starting in the fall of 2005. As of April 2007, MTV had already renewed the series for a third season which debuted in October 2007.
As well as MTV, Run has been working together with D.M.C. on a comeback single entitled, Come 2Gether. Also as of this year, Run put toegether a mix tape with KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions and confirmed he will do an album with the group as he did earlier in his career. He is also planning on doing an album with Kid Rock.
DMC released his first solo album, entitled Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll, on March 14, 2006. The first single is "Just Like Me", using samples and the chorus from Harry Chapin's "Cat's in the Cradle", with the chorus sung by Sarah McLachlan. The second single is planned to contain samples from Starship's "We Built This City".
When "This Iz Tha Final Kut" was unreleased, DMC decided to make it into an album. Guests will feature, DJ Run, BDP, N.W.A., Kid Rock, and DMC's new group, Tha All-Stars which consists of Nas, MC Ren, Jay-Z, and newcomer, Knock-Out. The album will be produced by himself.
DMC made a guest appearance during the encore of Aerosmith's Hyde Park Calling set on Sunday 24th June 2007, performing the classic rock-rap version of Walk This Way.
On November 30th & December 1st 2007, Run and DMC reformed for a two-night residency at the Thurn & Taxis venue in Brussels, Belgium. They were invited as closing acts of the Proximus Xtreme snowfestival on the Thurn & Taxis site.
| Album information |
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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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- 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 DMC (2003) (Profile Records)
- Ultimate Run-D.M.C. (2003) (Profile Records)
- Artist Collection: Run DMC (2004) (Arista Records)
- Live At Montreux 2001 (2007) (Eagle Records)
- RunDMC.com The Official Run-D.M.C. Website
- RUN DMC bio The full 411 on the Kings of Rock [authored by Balance: 411@hiphop.sh
- The Run-D.M.C. Website
- Run-D.M.C. at Discogs
- Run-D.M.C. discography at MusicBrainz
- 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.
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| DJ Run | D.M.C. | Jam Master Jay | |
| Discography | Run-D.M.C. | King of Rock | Raising Hell | Tougher Than Leather | Back from Hell | Together Forever: Greatest Hits 1983-1991 | Down with the King | Crown Royal |
| Compilations | Greatest Hits | The Best of Run DMC | Ultimate Run-D.M.C. |
| Songs | "It's Like That" | "Walk This Way" | "It's Tricky" | "Rock Box" |
| Related articles | Run's House | Distortion | Checks Thugs and Rock N Roll | Def Jam | Russell Simmons Music Group |