Biography

Run-D.M.C. exploded out of Hollis, Queens, in 1983, changing the sound of rap music, street fashion and popular culture in general. Their approach was stripped-down and spare, and they innovated by rapping over rock beats, even incorporating hard-rock guitar samples on occasion. Most important they stayed true to the realities of the street. Their first release, the 12-inch single “It’s Like That”/”Sucker MCs” inaugurated a revolution in rap. Released on Profile Records and produced by Kurtis Blow, it was the first rap single with a hard beat and stripped-down, no-nonsense delivery. Run-D.M.C. gave rap both its first gold album (Run-D.M.C., ...