Run–D.M.C. (1984)

Run-D.M.C. is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Run-D.M.C., released on March 27, 1984, by Profile Records, and re-issued by Arista Records. The album was primarily produced by Russell Simmons and Larry Smith.

The album was considered groundbreaking for its time, presenting a tougher, more hardcore form of rap. The album's sparse beats and aggressive rhymes were in sharp contrast with the light, party-oriented sound that was popular in contemporary hip hop. With the album, Run-D.M.C. came to be regarded by music critics as pioneering the movement of new school hip hop of the mid-1980s. Five singles were released in support of it: "It's Like That", "Hard Times", "Rock Box", "30 Days" and "Hollis Crew". The first single from the album, "It's Like That", released on August 10, 1983, expanded lyrical boundaries in rap with its tone of social protest (unemployment, inflation). "It's Like That" is considered by many to be the first hardcore hip hop song, and the first new-school hip hop recording. "Sucker M.C.'s" is one of the first diss tracks, and "Rock Box" is the first song in the rap rock genre.

Run-D.M.C. peaked at number 53 on the Billboard 200 chart and number 14 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The album became the first rap album to achieve a Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) (December 17, 1984). It was released to critical acclaim, and continues to be highly regarded as a seminal hip hop album. In 1989, it was ranked number 51 on Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s". In 2003, the album was ranked number 240 on the same magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", with the ranking changing to numbers 242 and 378 in the 2012 and 2020 updates of the list, respectively. The album was reissued by Arista Records in 1999 and 2003. An expanded and remastered edition was released in 2005 and contained 4 previously unreleased songs.

Background

The music on the album was created by Larry Smith's group Orange Krush using the Oberheim DMX drum machine and Jam Master Jay's scratches mixed in a guitar riff.

The album was dedicated to the memory of DJ June Bug who worked as a DJ in the Bronx at the club Disco Fever, selling drugs at the same time.

Impact of "Rock Box"

Run-D.M.C.'s second listed track, "Rock Box" (which was released as the album's third single on April 16, 1984), is credited by music critics for dissolving social and racial boundaries within the music industry between rock music and mainstream hip hop at the time of the album's release.

The music video for "Rock Box" became the first rap video played on MTV in the summer of 1984. The video was filmed in the famous New York punk club Danceteria. As Run-D.M.C.'s first major video release, the trio represented 1980's New York street fashion with their signature look of black Kangol hats, black Lee jeans, black t-shirts and leather jackets, white Adidas sneakers, gold chains, and, as always, D.M.C. is wearing his trademark glasses. Run-D.M.C. has been credited for evolving African-American fashion, breaking away from the highly glamorous looks of disco and early hip hop.

In a 2019 episode of the AMC docuseries The Songs That Shook America, "Rock Box" was applauded for its blending of snare drum beats accompanied by the guitar riffs performed by American guitarist Eddie Martinez.

By mixing rock and rap, 'Rock Box' redefined both genres. Public Enemy, Beastie Boys, Linkin Park, Rage Against the Machine, and Blink-182, none of them would be the same without this one song, and hip hop and rock might still be segregated art forms. That's its impact.

"Rock Box" would also go on to inspire many of Run-D.M.C.'s future material in the rap-rock genre, including the title track of their second studio album King of Rock (1985), the singles "Walk This Way" and "It's Tricky" from the group's third studio album Raising Hell (1986), and the title track of their fourth studio album Tougher Than Leather (1988).

Appearance in films

The song "It's Like That" was performed on stage in the 1985 Warner Bros. film Krush Groove, in which the Run-D.M.C.'s members starred in April 1985.

Critical reception and influence

Debby Miller of Rolling Stone 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 everybody-takes-a-verse approach of groups like Sequence. And the music ... that backs these tracks is surprisingly varied, for all its bare bones".