Download Sucker MC's Ringtone

Legendary rap group Run DMC are the most popular, if not the first, hip hop band. Joseph "DJ Run" Simmons, Daryl "D.M.C." McDaniels and Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell pioneered everything from turntable technique to street style to lyrical flow and their classic albums are basic education for any aspiring MC. Formed at hip hop's ground zero, Hollis Queens, they grew up participating in some of the first rap battles with neighborhood piers-they talk about hanging out in a local club and seeing who could rap better over Aerosmith's opening riff on "Walk This Way" before the record got to the vocals. Run's older brother Russell was a savvy promoter with connections to other hip hop pioneers like Kurtis Blow. In 1983, the childhood friends cut their first single, "It's Like That." With their street look-matching track suits and chains-they easily landed on MTV and were the first rap act to get any video play. In 1985, they released their stone-cold classic Raising Hell. The disc plays like a hip hop manual, taking the kids to school and telling them how to dress ("My Adidas,") how to game ("It's Tricky,") how to cut ("Peter Piper") and how to sample ("Walk This Way.") "Walk This Way" was a massive hit and the video, with a resurrected Aerosmith, owned MTV and made hip hop comprehensible to an audience familiar with guitar solos and log hair. Run DMC's tour with Public Enemy and The Beastie Boys is considered the apex of hip hop's golden age.

More Run DMC