RUN-DMC: Global Ambassadors of Hip-Hop

In the history of Hip-Hop music, no group has had a greater impact on its growth than Run-DMC. Run-DMC changed the way Hip-Hop music was made and marketed. Before the group’s emergence, Hip-Hop was a single’s driven industry. No one made rap albums, and because of this, no one was really sure if rap music could be marketed in an album form. Under the leadership and guidance of rap promoter Russell Simmons and producer Rick Rubin, Run-DMC became the biggest name rap group of their era.

The group Run-DMC consisted of Run (Joseph Simmons, Russell Simmons younger brother), DMC (Daryl McDaniels), and their DJ Jam Master Jay (Jason Mizell, R.I.P.). Before the group took off, rap artists’ performance wardrobes looked like they robbed Rick James’ fashion designer. Tight leather pants, boots, studded black leather gloves, and fake fur shawls were the look of the day. When Run-DMC hit the scene they instantly changed the dress code. Fedora hats, Adidas sneakers, no shoelaces, Lee Jeans, and three quarter length leather jackets became their signature style of dress.

Run-DMC hit the streets hard with their first single “Sucker MC’s” and the B-side single “It’s Like That”. Both songs became instant hits, and both songs had a lasting impact on Hip-Hop. “Sucker MC’s” immediately became a street anthem; the booming bass drum beat dominated boom boxes through the Tri-State area. It seemed like every urban teenager knew all the lyrics to the song and it was the biggest body mover in the park jams and block parties of the summer of 1984. Meanwhile, “It’s Like That” became one of the earliest Hip-Hop songs to incorporate a Rock bass line to its melody. The innovative style laid the groundwork for future Run-DMC Rock music forays such as “Rock Box”, “Walk This Way” and “Mary, Mary.”

By 1986, Run-DMC had already become one of the biggest groups in Hip-Hop, and that year they released an album that would push them into the elite stratosphere of superstardom. The LP, Raising Hell became the highest selling rap album in history to that point. Raising Hell featured “Walk This Way”, a song recorded with Rock group Aerosmith that propelled the album over the top, and Run-DMC, into the Rock market. With the success of Raising Hell, Run-DMC was able to achieve widespread mainstream appeal.

Run-DMC’s Hip-Hop legacy speaks of all of the doors they helped open for future rap groups. They were one of the earliest rap groups to be in heavy rotation on MTV. “Walk This Way” became the first rap song to make the Top 10 on Billboard’s singles charts. They were the first rap group to record platinum and multi-platinum albums, and they were also the first rap group to appear of the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. In addition, they helped make Hip-Hop music marketable to corporate America. With their promotion of Adidas via the song “My Adidas”, they became the first rap group to sign a sneaker deal. Today’s rap artists owe gratitude to groups like Run-DMC who paved the way for Hip-Hop to be embraced across the world.