Run–D.M.C. stands as a seminal influence in the history of hip hop music, widely recognized for pioneering the merging of rap and rock and for groundbreaking stylistic developments within the genre. Formed in Hollis, Queens, New York, in 1981, the group is composed of Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell, better known as Rev Run, D.M.C., and Jam Master Jay, respectively. The trio blazed trails by being one of the first hip-hop acts to earn a gold album (with their self-titled 1984 debut), a platinum record (with "King of Rock" in 1985), and multi-platinum status (with the groundbreaking "Raising Hell" in 1986), which included their crossover hit "Walk This Way" featuring Aerosmith.

Beyond commercial success, Run–D.M.C. is credited for establishing new fashion trends linked to hip-hop culture, and for their raw, stripped-down beats and hard-hitting rhymes that became synonymous with New York's rap scene. They indelibly influenced numerous acts that followed and were the second rap act ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009. Their music continues to be celebrated, evident in releases such as "The Instrumentals Vol. 1 & 2", the live performance recording at Montreux in 2001, and thematic tracks like the perennial favorite "Christmas in Hollis." The untimely death of Jam Master Jay in 2002 marked the end of the group’s active tenure, but the legacy of Run–D.M.C. endures in the pantheon of music history as a transformative force that helped shape the sound and culture of modern hip-hop.

Genres

East Coast Hip Hop

Golden Age Hip Hop

Hip Hop

Old School Hip Hop

Queens Hip Hop

Rap

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LL COOL J

Public Enemy

De La Soul

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Salt-N-Pepa

Slick Rick

Eminem

Snoop Dogg

Boogie Down Productions

Ice Cube

Wu-Tang Clan

Latest Release

Down With The King (Ft. Darryl “DMC” McDaniels)

Butcher Brown•

Run–D.M.C.

Single - Released August 16, 2024