Superlatives
A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers.
Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
If Kool Herc was raps Big Bang, thenRun-D.M.C.
The legendary Queens trio of Joseph Run Simmons, Darryl D.M.C.
McDaniels, and Jason Jam Master Jay Mizell changed the idea of what was possible in hip-hop.
They were also the only hip-hop act to perform at Live Aid and unofficially hosted the maiden episode ofYo!
Last month, Run-D.M.C.
Meanwhile, theDevastating Mic Controllerhas stayed busy.
We didnt invent hip-hop, but we definitely reinvented it, says DMC.
What a ride this thing has taken me on.
We took it to the early park jams, to theCold Crush Brothers and the Treacherous Three.
The omnipresent representation of hip-hop.
Most captivating individual rhymes by Run and D.M.C.
For Run, Id go to Rock Box.
Joe always knew who he was.
Most jaw-dropping Jam Master Jay performance
First, let me say something.
For the next 50 years, Im calling out all the bullshit.
If you dont have a DJ, it aint hip-hop.
Its a big difference between just rapping over a song compared to having a DJ working the turntables.
To me, Jay was the best to ever do it.
Run and I are rapping over Jays wild infectious beats.
We had no idea where this thing was headed.
Farthest away, no question,Back From Hell.
We got so far away from who Run-D.M.C.
is, cursing and trying to act all hard like we were Onyx or some shit.
What the hell is Run-D.M.C.
They think theyre gangsters now?
That wasnt even the worst part.
Most overrated Run-D.M.C.
Nas told me it was because it was the first time we used our real names.
Only thing that makes sense, I guess.
Most underrated Run-D.M.C.
song
Underrated is hard because I think Run-D.M.C.s most popular songs are also our best songs.
Theres one song off ofDown With the Kingthat comes to mind because I love the way it sounds.
But Jay nailed the sound, it feels like a sequel toBeats to the Rhyme.
Music video that best represents the bands ethos
Rock Box.
Its the video that first got us on MTV and on our way to superstardom.
More importantly, it captures our look and the swagger we were bringing to the scene.
We didnt have to try and be something we werent.
fit in as Run-D.M.C.
You dont belong here!
Which we did then and do now as Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members.
MJ loved it though, he understood the allusions and knew we were just goofing.
Michael actually brought us in to do a song together.
No lie, we met up with MJ and Bubbles the Chimp.
Nothing came of it because as crazy as it sounds now, Run-D.M.C.
wastoo busyto work with Michael Jackson.
Weirdest place you heard Walk This Way
Theres an episode ofRay Donovannamed after the song.
Everyone was hitting me up about it before I saw it.
It goes on for like three minutes, forever by TV standards.
Ive been sober for almost 20 years and that scene hit me.
The coolest, deepest, most emotionally resonating way to use Walk This Way.
always had to be on top of our game.
Everybody was gunning for us.
The irony is it was also the best thing.
It pushed us to be creative without being conscious of it because we were having so much fun.
Our downfall came afterRaising Hellwhen we stopped being Run-D.M.C.
Are you saying you dont likeTougher Than Leather?
At that point, we should have waited, regrouped, and gotten back into the consciousness of hip-hop.
Key to your long relationship with Run
The thing that brought us together: hip-hop.
We met one day playing basketball in Hollis.
I was in Catholic school, so maybe it was divine intervention.
He saw the turntables my brothers and I had set up and started DJ-ing.
After that, basketball and making music was our thing.
Even when we officially started the band with Jay, for Run and I it was about making records.
He was always a family man.
I spent most of my time back in the day hanging with theHollis Crew.
Hip-hop gave us a bond for life even through the darkest days.
Favorite pop-culture usage of a Run-D.M.C.
song
The Its Tricky dance inWhite Chicks?
Is it a Christmas movie?
Of course it is.Christmas in Hollisis your motherfucking proof.
Everyone thinks of us in the tracksuits, but I think our upscale outfits were peak Run-D.M.C.
The problem was they looked good, but to perform in?
Hot, sweaty, moldy, stinky.
Oh my God, I can still smell it today.
Worst thing about headlining the Yankee Stadium Hip-Hop 50 celebration
I hated it.
We went on stage at one in the morning!
Why the hell do you want to put Run-D.M.C.
Start the show earlier or put us on in the middle.
Didnt make any goddamn sense.
It felt like an awards show, something made for TV or streaming, not an authentic Bronx party.
Were in the birthplace of hip-hop but you dont have Bronx OGs likethe Fantastic Fiveor theFunky 4 + 1?
They still couldve started at noon.
On all our albums, we had at least one rock-rap track, so in our minds, Run-D.M.C.
already hit as hard as any rock band out there.
The title track Raising Hell has those guitar licks and was supposed to be that song on that album.
We changed the world.
