Run-D.M.C. (album)
Encyclopedia
Run–D.M.C. is the debut album
of American hip hop
group Run–D.M.C.. Produced in 1984, it was considered groundbreaking for its time, presenting a harder, more aggressive form of hip hop. The album's sparse beats and aggressive rhymes were in sharp contrast with the light, funky sound that was popular in hip hop at the time. With the album, the group has been regarded by music writers as pioneering the movement of new school hip hop
of the early-1980s. The album was reissued as a "Deluxe Edition" in 2005 with four bonus tracks.
complimented Run-D.M.C.'s boasts about "messages that self-improvement is the only ticket out" and viewed their style as a departure from most hip hop acts at the time, stating "they get into a vocal tug of war that's completely different from the straightforward delivery of the Furious Five's Melle Mel
or the every-body-takes-a-verse approach of groups like Sequence. And the music [...] that backs these tracks is surprisingly varied, for all its bare bones". In his consumer guide for The Village Voice
, critic Robert Christgau
gave the album an A- rating and described it as "easily the canniest and most formally sustained rap album ever, a tour de force I trust will be studied by all manner of creative downtowners and racially enlightened Englishmen". Christgau commented on the group's "heavy staccato and proud disdain for melody", writing that "the style has been in the New York air long enough that you may understand it better than you think".
The album has been regarded by music writers as one of early-hip hop's best albums and a landmark release of the new school hip hop
movement in the 1980s. According to journalist Peter Shapiro, the album's 1983 double-single release "It's like That
"/"Sucker MCs" "completely changed hip-hop [...] rendering everything that preceded it distinctly old school with one fell swoop." Run-D.M.C. rapped over the most sparse of musical backing tracks in hip hop at the time. "Sucker MCs" features a loud drum machine
and a few scratches
, with rhymes that harangued weak rappers and contrasted them to the group's success. "It's like That" is an aggressively-delivered message rap whose social commentary has been defined variously as "objective fatalism", "frustrated and renunciatory", and just plain "reportage".
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source
s 100 Best Rap Albums. In 1989, the album was ranked number 51 on Rolling Stone
magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 240 on Rolling Stones list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
.
Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
of American hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group Run–D.M.C.. Produced in 1984, it was considered groundbreaking for its time, presenting a harder, more aggressive form of hip hop. The album's sparse beats and aggressive rhymes were in sharp contrast with the light, funky sound that was popular in hip hop at the time. With the album, the group has been regarded by music writers as pioneering the movement of new school hip hop
New school hip hop
The new school of hip hop was a movement in hip hop music starting 1983–84 with the early records of Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J. Like the hip hop preceding it, it came predominately from New York City. The new school was initially characterized in form by drum machine led minimalism, often tinged...
of the early-1980s. The album was reissued as a "Deluxe Edition" in 2005 with four bonus tracks.
Reception and influence
Debby Miller of Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
complimented Run-D.M.C.'s boasts about "messages that self-improvement is the only ticket out" and viewed their style as a departure from most hip hop acts at the time, stating "they get into a vocal tug of war that's completely different from the straightforward delivery of the Furious Five's Melle Mel
Melle Mel
Grandmaster Mele Mel , also known as Melle Mel , is an American hip-hop musician — one of the pioneers of old school hip hop as lead rapper and main songwriter for Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five.- Biography :...
or the every-body-takes-a-verse approach of groups like Sequence. And the music [...] that backs these tracks is surprisingly varied, for all its bare bones". In his consumer guide for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album an A- rating and described it as "easily the canniest and most formally sustained rap album ever, a tour de force I trust will be studied by all manner of creative downtowners and racially enlightened Englishmen". Christgau commented on the group's "heavy staccato and proud disdain for melody", writing that "the style has been in the New York air long enough that you may understand it better than you think".
The album has been regarded by music writers as one of early-hip hop's best albums and a landmark release of the new school hip hop
New school hip hop
The new school of hip hop was a movement in hip hop music starting 1983–84 with the early records of Run-D.M.C. and LL Cool J. Like the hip hop preceding it, it came predominately from New York City. The new school was initially characterized in form by drum machine led minimalism, often tinged...
movement in the 1980s. According to journalist Peter Shapiro, the album's 1983 double-single release "It's like That
It's Like That (Run-D.M.C. song)
"It's like That" is a song by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C. It was first released in 1983 on a cassette backed with the track "Sucker M.C.'s". The release marked the start of Run-D.M.C.'s career and is widely regarded as ushering in a new school of hip hop artists with a street image and an...
"/"Sucker MCs" "completely changed hip-hop [...] rendering everything that preceded it distinctly old school with one fell swoop." Run-D.M.C. rapped over the most sparse of musical backing tracks in hip hop at the time. "Sucker MCs" features a loud drum machine
Drum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
and a few scratches
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
, with rhymes that harangued weak rappers and contrasted them to the group's success. "It's like That" is an aggressively-delivered message rap whose social commentary has been defined variously as "objective fatalism", "frustrated and renunciatory", and just plain "reportage".
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
s 100 Best Rap Albums. In 1989, the album was ranked number 51 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's list of the 100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s. In 2003, the album was ranked number 240 on Rolling Stones list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time
"The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is the title of a 2003 special issue of American magazine Rolling Stone, and a related book published in 2005.Related news articles:...
.
Track listing
- "Hard Times" – 3:52 (Bralower, Moore, R.Simmons, Smith, Waring)
- "Rock BoxRock Box"Rock Box" is a 1984 hit single by Run-D.M.C.. It is the third single from their self-titled debut album, originally released through Profile Records, Inc. The heavy rock guitar riff and solos are original compositions performed by Eddie Martinez, also seen playing the electric guitar in the music...
" – 5:30 (McDaniels, J.Simmons, Smith) - "Jam-Master Jay" – 3:11 (McDaniels, Mizell, J.Simmons, Smith, R.Simmons)
- Samples:
- "Scratchin'" by Magic Disco Machine
- Samples:
- "Hollis Crew (Krush-Groove 2)" – 3:12 (McDaniels, J.Simmons, Mizell)
- "Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1)" – 3:09 (N.S.Hardy, Jr., McDaniels, J.Simmons, Smith)
- Samples:
- "Live at the Disco Fever" by Lovebug StarskiLovebug StarskiLovebug Starski is an American MC, musician and record producer. He began his career as a record boy in 1971 as hip-hop first appeared in the Bronx, and he eventually became a DJ at the Disco Fever club in 1978.Starski recorded his first single, "Positive Life," on the Tayster record label in 1981...
- "Live at the Disco Fever" by Lovebug Starski
- Samples:
- "It's like ThatIt's Like That (Run-D.M.C. song)"It's like That" is a song by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C. It was first released in 1983 on a cassette backed with the track "Sucker M.C.'s". The release marked the start of Run-D.M.C.'s career and is widely regarded as ushering in a new school of hip hop artists with a street image and an...
" – 4:50 (McDaniels, J.Simmons, Smith) - "Wake Up" – 5:31 (J.Simmons, Smith, R.Simmons, Hayden)
- "30 Days" – 5:47 (D.Simmons, Smith, Moore)
- "Jay's Game" – 4:25 (J.Simmons, Smith, Mizell, R.Simmons)
Deluxe Edition bonus tracks
- "Rock Box (B-Boy Mix)" – 5:52
- "Here We Go [Live at the Funhouse]" – 4:06
- "Sucker M.C.'s (Live at Graffiti RockGraffiti rockGraffiti Rock was a hip-hop based television program, originally screened June 29, 1984. Intended as an on-going series, the show only received one pilot episode and aired on WPIX channel 11 in New York City and a few other markets...
)" – 3:25 - "Russell & Larry Running at the Mouth" – 4:37
Musicians
- Jam Master Jay - Percussion, Keyboards
- Darryl McDanielsDarryl McDaniels-Video game appearances:*The Warriors - Scopes*Guitar Hero: Aerosmith - Himself- External links :* * * * * http://articles.latimes.com/2009/dec/12/entertainment/la-et-people-speak12-2009dec12...
"D.M.C." - Vocals - Joseph SimmonsJoseph SimmonsJoseph Ward Simmons , known by the stage name Rev. Run or DJ Run, is one of the founding members of the influential hip hop group Run–D.M.C., and a practicing minister, known as Reverend Run. Simmons was born in Hollis, Queens, New York. He is the younger brother of Daniel "Danny" Simmons, Jr...
"Run" or "Rev Run" - Vocals - Eddie MartinezEddie MartinezEddie Martinez is an American guitarist, born and raised in New York City, who mainly functions as a session musician. He has worked with David Lee Roth , Run-D.M.C. , Robert Palmer , Meat Loaf , several Jim Steinman projects, and many others...
- Guitar
Production
- Orange KrushOrange KrushOrange Krush is a branch of the registered student organization , Illini Pride, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In its current form, the Organization has two faces. First, the Orange Krush is the student cheering section for the University of Illinois men's basketball team...
- Composer - Russell SimmonsRussell Simmons-External links:** * * * * * * from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum* *...
- Producer - Larry Smith - Producer
- Rod Hui - Producer/Engineer
Sampled use
- "Rock Box"
- "Justify My Thug" by Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
from the album The Black AlbumThe Black Album (Jay-Z album)The Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released November 14, 2003, on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was promoted as his final studio album, which serves as a recurring theme, although Jay-Z returned to solo recording with Kingdom Come in 2006.The album debuted at number one... - "Champagne" by Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
from the album Roll with the NewRoll with the NewRoll with the New is the second comedy album by Chris Rock. It is a combination of live material and comedy sketches... - "Runnin'" by The PharcydeThe PharcydeThe Pharcyde are an alternative hip hop group based in South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani , Slimkid3 , Bootie Brown and Fatlip . DJ Mark Luv was the group's first DJ, followed by producer J-Swift and then J Dilla...
from the album LabcabincaliforniaLabcabincaliforniaLabcabincalifornia is the second album by The Pharcyde, released in 1995, three years after their debut Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde. The album's production was handled by The Pharcyde themselves and Jay Dee, with additional help from Diamond D and M-Walk.The first single was "Drop"... - "Patti Dooke" by De La SoulDe La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
from the album Buhloone MindstateBuhloone MindstateBuhloone Mindstate is De La Soul's third full-length album. It was the last De La Soul album to be produced with Prince Paul. Comedian Chris Rock ranked it 10th in his list of the top 25 hip-hop albums of all time that was published in Rolling Stone in 2005.- Title significance :The title refers...
- "Justify My Thug" by Jay-Z
- "Jam-Master Jay"
- "Let's Get Crazy" by Slick RickSlick RickRichard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
from the album The Great Adventures of Slick RickThe Great Adventures of Slick Rick-Samples used:*"Children's Story" samples "Think " by Lyn Collins & "Nautilus" by Bob James*"The Moment I Feared" samples "Funky Drummer" by James Brown", "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by Bob James & "Peter Piper" by Run-D.M.C.... - "You Know My Style" by NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
from the album Street's DiscipleStreet's DiscipleStreet's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American rapper Nas, released November 30, 2004 on Columbia Records in the United States. It is a double album entitled after one of his rhymes from "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source, which was the song marking his musical debut...
- "Let's Get Crazy" by Slick Rick
- "Hollis Crew"
- "It's Like ThatIt's like That (Mariah Carey song)"It's Like That" is a song written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey, Dupri, and Seal for Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . It borrows the hook "it's like that y'all" from the Run-D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go...
" by Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
from the album The Emancipation of MimiThe Emancipation of MimiThe Emancipation of Mimi is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Mariah Carey, released in the United States on April 12, 2005, by Island Records. Following the relatively poor critical and commercial responses to her albums, Glitter and Charmbracelet , The Emancipation of Mimi...
(uncredited)
- "It's Like That
- "Here We Go" (Live at The Funhouse)
- "Let's Rock" by Chrisette MicheleChrisette MicheleChrisette Michele Payne , known professionally as Chrisette Michele, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter....
from the album I AmI Am (Chrisette Michele album)I Am is the debut album by American R&B-soul singer–songwriter Chrisette Michele, released in the United States on June 19, 2007 by Def Jam Recordings.-Production:... - "Fastest Rhyme" by Young MCYoung MCMarvin Young , better known by his stage name Young MC, is an English-born American singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit "Bust a Move"...
from the album Stone Cold Rhymin'Stone Cold Rhymin'Stone Cold Rhymin' is the debut album by rapper Young MC. It was originally released in 1989 on Delicious Vinyl and was later re-issued by Rhino Records. The third track, "Bust a Move", was Young MC's biggest hit and was the song he is mostly remembered for today, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard... - "Pump Up the VolumePump up the Volume (song)"Pump Up the Volume" is a song and the only single by British recording act MARRS. It was a number-one hit in many countries and is generally regarded as a significant milestone in the development of British house music and music sampling....
" by MARRSMARRSMARRS was a 1987 one-off recording act formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox which only released one commercial disc...
from the album Pump Up the Volume
- "Let's Rock" by Chrisette Michele
External links
- Run–D.M.C. at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...