Run-D.M.C. created some of hip-hop’s most important songs throughout their career, while helping to build the genre into the global phenomenon it is today. To put it plainly, Run-D.M.C. is to hip-hop what The Beatles are to rock ‘n’ roll, what Hank Williams is to country music, and what Bob Marley is to reggae.
Just like those artists, Run-D.M.C. aren’t the founders of their genre; they were its first superstars at a time when label executives looked at hip-hop as a here-today-gone-tomorrow fad. They were the first rap group to be heavily played on MTV, the first to land a Rolling Stone cover, and the first to be featured on SNL.
It’s safe to say that Joseph “Run” Simmons, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, and Jason “Jam Master Jay” Mizell were the hip-hop prototypes, the group that every rap-loving kid from Brooklyn to Beijing wanted to emulate. In all, the group released seven studio albums in their historic run, and these are the songs that made them rap deities.
10
Down With The King, Album: Down With The King (1993)
By the time 1993 rolled around, hip-hop looked far different from a decade earlier when Run-D.M.C. broke into the scene. East Coast hip-hop changed dramatically, as more melody was added to the heavy percussion that made up the bulk of rap tracks — thanks to producers like Pete Rock, Da Beatminerz, and A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, sampling jazz records.
So, it makes sense that Run-D.M.C. would recruit Pete Rock to produce “Down With the King,” which also features his then-group member CL Smooth. The song opens with a voice sample from the Run-D.M.C. cut “Run’s House” and goes into Run’s opening verse, before Smooth adds his mellow flow. From there, D.M.C. closes things out with his bass-heavy vocals.
9
Run’s House, Album: Tougher Than Leather (1988)
For those fortunate enough to catch a Run-D.M.C. show, they probably saw a routine the group did, consisting of Run asking the crowd whose house is this? It was his way of telling them that, regardless of who else was on the bill, he owned the venue due to his star power. The routine was later made into this gem.
Run starts things off with his signature high-octane delivery over punchy drums and a snare so prominent, it feels like it’ll come right through the speakers. D.M.C.comes later in the song, using his deep-voiced delivery to display top-notch wordplay.
The song’s title was used for Run’s MTV reality show, which ran from 2005 to 2009, and because it introduced a new generation of fans to Run-D.M.C. “Run’s House,” the song, is certainly a career-defining cut.
8
Christmas In Hollis, Album: A Very Special Christmas (1987)
In the modern-music era, not many acts have created a Christmas song that sticks, one that gets played every season. Mariah Carey pulled it off with “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” and Run-D.M.C. did the same when they explained what Christmas is like in their Hollis, Queens neighborhood on “Christmas in Hollis.”
The song has certainly crossed over, and one doesn’t have to be a Run-D.M.C. or rap fan to know that D.M.C.’s mother cooks chicken and collard greens every December 25, and that Run ran into Santa Claus and his “ill reindeer” in a park. If one doesn’t know any Run-D.M.C. songs, they probably know this one.
7
It’s Like That, Jason Nevins Remix (1997)
There are two clear reasons why “It’s Like That” has to be on this list. First off, it’s one of Run-D.M.C.’s first-ever singles, along with “Sucker M.C.’s,” and it put them on the musical map. Two, it became a global hit years after producer Jason Nevins did an EDM remix, which put a new spotlight on the group.
Before Nevins put his touches on it, the song was the kind that a person sat with in order to delve into Run and D’s lyrics about life’s cold hard truths. It was also one of the cuts that showed the rappers didn’t shy away from social commentary in their music.
After the remix, the song made you want to hop, twirl, and move under strobe lights, something the group probably never anticipated during the writing sessions. Plus, they probably didn’t expect the song to land on Billboard 14 years later, but it spent 12 weeks on the Dance Club Songs chart, peaking at number 14 and selling 5 million copies.
6
Raising Hell, Album: Raising Hell (1986)
On Run-D.M.C.’s eponymous album, they established their rap, rock marriage with the brilliant cut “Rock Box.” The groom was the rappers’ braggadocious rhymes, and the bride a catchy electric guitar riff. The combination worked incredibly, and it was eaten up by rap, as well as rock fans, like a well-seasoned meal, so the group continued to merge both genres.
By their third album, the nearly flawless Raising Hell, which was the first rap album to go platinum, Run, D, and Jay, achieved mastery over the rap, rock blend, and it resulted in the brilliant title song. Backed by a simple, yet highly affective guitar riff, played by producer Rick Rubin, the MCs delivered visual, complex rhymes about their skills.
“Raising Hell,” the song, as well as the LP, is an essential listen for those unfamiliar with Run-D.M.C.’s genre-bending technique, since everything came together on the title cut wonderfully.
5
My Adidas, Album: Raising Hell (1986)
Undoubtedly, Run-D.M.C.’s influence on hip-hop during their reign didn’t come from just their songs, it was their fashion as well, which consisted of black leather blazers, black fedoras, and laceless shell-toe Adidas. The sneakers would become more synonymous with Run-D.M.C. as they got further into their career, so it was logical for the trio to make a song about them.
The greatness of “My Adidas” doesn’t just have to do with the technical aspects of the song; it’s a celebration of hip-hop fashion, since Run and D.M.C. rap about the same attire that a lot of kids sported at that time, making the song ultra relatable.
“Standing on two Fifth Street / Funky fresh and yes cold on my feet / With no shoe string in ’em, I did not win ’em / I bought ’em off the Ave with the black Lee denim,” spits the rappers.
4
King Of Rock, Album: King Of Rock (1985)
It could be said the group’s second album, King of Rock, doesn’t measure up to their debut or their third LP, Raising Hell, in terms of quality. However, after its release, Run-D.M.C. still became more popular, which had to do with the phenomenal title track.
The rappers’ swagger and overall B-Boy cool are fully displayed on the cut. Plus, lyrically, they seemingly wanted to make it clear that even though they merged rap and rock, they were solely a hip-hop act. “Every jam we play, we break two needles / There’s three of us, but we’re not the Beatles,” raps Run.
Run-D.M.C. also wanted to show that hip-hop was just as important as rock ‘n’ roll, and it should be respected in the same manner. The group doubled down on that point in the song’s video, which shows them performing in the Museum of Rock ‘n’ Roll, despite being told by a security guard they don’t belong there.
3
Walk This Way, Album: Raising Hell (1986)
It was Rick Rubin’s idea for Run-D.M.C. to cover Aerosmith’s 1975 song “Walk This Way,” and at first the rappers wanted nothing to do with it. But it turned into their highest charting song on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, spending 16 weeks there and peaking at number 4.
The cut cemented Run-D.M.C. into the mainstream and broke the wall between rock and rap, which was famously displayed in the video when Aerosmith’s frontman Steven Tyler broke a wall that stood between the two groups’ rehearsal space.
D.M.C. talked about the song in a 2016 interview with Complex, and explained how Rubin entered New York City’s Chung King Studios while the group was sampling Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” and made a suggestion. Initially, Run and D simply wanted to sample the song and deliver their own rhymes, but Rubin wanted them to cover it as is.
It took the late, great Jam Master Jay to convince his group mates to do the song, telling them not to perform the lyrics like Tyler, but in Run-D.M.C. fashion, which worked stupendously.
2
Sucker M.C.’s (Krush‐Groove 1), Album: Run D.M.C. (1984)
Whether you’re a staunch Run-D.M.C. fan or not, you can probably complete Run’s opening line of, “Two years ago, a friend of mine.”
Plus, when “Sucker M.C.’s” dropped, it was clear that a shift in rap was happening since the stripped-down rhymes and beats that were often played in New York parks and block parties made their way to vinyl, as well as radio.
“Sucker M.C.’s” is one of hip-hop’s foundational cuts, because it showed legions of rappers how to tell stories, how to put battle rhymes to a beat, and how two M.C.s can equally shine on a single track. Although Run raps for the bulk of the song, and D.M.C. comes nearly toward the end, their perfect synergy is on full display.
1
Peter Piper, Album: Raising Hell (1986)
Listening to the back-and-forth rhyme scheme of two rappers is always a treat, and while Run-D.M.C. may not be the originators of that style, it could be said they did it the best. “Peter Piper” is a perfect example of that for its tongue-twisting delivery, and the rappers showing perfect chemistry.
The song was a fan-favorite at shows, due in part to the group really playing it up. They’d often stand at the edge of the stage while facing each other, then, out of nowhere, they’d launch into the complex rhyme exchange. Plus, with the back-and-forth being done a cappella, it only makes for a more enjoyable listen.
However, that’s far from the only reason the cut is one of the group’s most beloved songs, because DJs love scratching it up, opting to use “Peter Piper” to flex their cutting skills. As D.M.C put it in his 2016 interview with Complex, “When we did ‘Peter Piper,’ we knew we had some s–t. We knew we had some ammo.”
Forty years on, that ammo still blows the roof off.
