Tuesday, 5 May 2015

Alphabet Beats #119: R is for....Run DMC

R is for....

 Something a little bit different today. One of the most influential Hip Hop artists ever!

Click on the links to listen to the sound of Run DMC.


Run DMC. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York, founded in 1981 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jam Master Jay (RIP 30/10/02). The group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture. Run DMC is one of the best-known hip hop acts in the 1980s who, along with LL Cool J, The Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy, signified the advent of the new school of hip hop music. They were the first group in the genre to have a gold album (Run DMC, 1984) and be nominated for a Grammy Award. They were the first to earn a platinum record (King of Rock, 1985), the first to earn a multiplatinum certification (Raising Hell, 1986), the first to have videos on MTV, and the first to appear on American Bandstand and the cover of Rolling Stone. Run DMC. was the only hip hop act to perform at Live Aid in 1985.

The group was among the first to highlight the importance of the MC and DJ relationship. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked them number 48 in their list of the greatest musical artists of all time. In 2007, Run DMC was named "The Greatest Hip Hop Group of All Time" by MTV.com and "Greatest Hip Hop Artist of All Time" by VH1. On April 4, 2009, rapper Eminem inducted them into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In doing so, Run DMC became only the second hip hop group in history to be inducted, after Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.

The Music
    Run DMC (1984)
    King of Rock (1985)
    Raising Hell (1986)
    Tougher Than Leather (1988)
    Back from Hell (1990)
    Down with the King (1993)
    Crown Royal (2001)

Promo Videos/Live

On 30th October 2002 Jam Master Jay was shot at his studio in Queens. The homicide of the respected man who gave the beats to Run DMC remains to this day unsolved. He was 37 years old.

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