Inducted:
2009
Category:
Performer
Inducted By:
Eminem
RUN DMC was a group of firsts. The first rappers to go gold, platinum, and multiplatinum, first on MTV, first to be nominated for a Grammy, first on the cover of Rolling Stone, first to hit No. 1 on the R&B charts. The trio established “street-style,” shattered boundaries between rap and rock and transformed the sound and audience of hip-hop.
Induction
Impact
Signature Sound
Raw, Stripped-down, Groundbreaking
Over a stark soundscape of drum machine and the occasional abrasive LP scratch, RUN DMC’s hard-edged, hook-y raps, often bolstered by aggressive rock guitar, captivated the MTV generation. Unparalleled storytellers, RUN DMC popularized call-and-response vocals, finishing each other’s lines and rapping in unison for emphasis. “Walk This Way,” their historic collaboration with Aerosmith, remains the gold standard for genre-busting.
At 5 million copies, this debut is one of the biggest selling singles of all time, ushering in a new, abrasive raw school of hip-hop.
From the Museum
IconicHip-Hop Style
RUN DMC started a fashion revolution with “My Adidas," a smash from its third LP, Raising Hell. Soon, legions of fans sported Adidas sneakers like this pair Darryl McDaniels (DMC) wore for a Rolling Stone cover shoot.
After an Adidas exec witnessed fans waving their sneakers in the air at the group’s Madison Square Garden show, the German company offered RUN DMC a million-dollar deal – the first of its kind to hip-hop stars.
From the Museum
IconicHip-Hop Style
RUN DMC started a fashion revolution with “My Adidas," a smash from its third LP, Raising Hell. Soon, legions of fans sported Adidas sneakers like this pair Darryl McDaniels (DMC) wore for a Rolling Stone cover shoot.
After an Adidas exec witnessed fans waving their sneakers in the air at the group’s Madison Square Garden show, the German company offered RUN DMC a million-dollar deal – the first of its kind to hip-hop stars.
Two turntables and a microphone. That’s all it took to change the world. Three kings from Queens made rap music in the B-boy stance a global phenomenon.
Eminem
2009 Hall of Fame Essay
"RUN DMC is the chief architect of hip-hop."
– Chuck D (quoted by Alan Light)
Check It OutInfluence
Influences
Kurtis Blow
Sugarhill Gang
The Treacherous Three
Funky Four Plus One
RUN DMC
Influenced
Wu-Tang Clan
sealed with a signature
This is the signature that appears on the inductee’s plaque at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to officially commemorate their induction.
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